


Breath After Breath

by thegangsallhere



Category: Duran Duran
Genre: Accidental Marriage, F/M, Marriage of Convenience, Married Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-04-03 08:57:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 53,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4094845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegangsallhere/pseuds/thegangsallhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick wakes up to the surprise of a lifetime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something's Always Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that I've always wanted to write because it seems so outrageous. This is just the first chapter of what I can guarantee will be several more. 
> 
> I named it after one of my favorite DD songs. I'll try to name the chapters after popular 90's music. 
> 
> Anything sexual comes later... stay tuned.

 

 

Las Vegas, August 1997

 

Nick slowly opened his eyes as his headache painfully reminded him of the previous night’s events…or what he could remember from that night. He looked around his room, it was a complete mess. There were clothes and bed sheets thrown everywhere. He was in his bed and realized that he was completely naked; next to him was a sleeping woman. He couldn’t see what she looked like for her hair was covering most of her face. Slowly, Nick got out of bed trying his best not to wake the girl up. He picked up his pants from the floor and quickly put them on, along with his white dress shirt. He didn’t feel like rummaging through his suitcase to find cleaner clothes.

He walked over to the bathroom and quietly closed the door. He turned on the faucet and brushed his teeth. He looked in the mirror and tried to figure out what happed the night before. It was as if the last twelve hours of his life never happened. The last thing he remembered was entering a casino and ordering drink after bloody drink. He rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to ease the pain of his hangover. Nick hadn’t woken up like that in over thirteen years, when he was a carefree 20-year-old roaming the free world and riding the coattails of fame and success.

Alas, reality had changed drastically since the debaucherous Eighties. Nick was thirty-five now and divorced. And what a divorce it was. He remembered the suffering and embarrassment of having his personal life being broadcast for the world to see. It had been three years since his divorce, but he remembered the whispers of treachery like it was just yesterday. With his divorce coinciding with the success of The Wedding Album _,_ he never ceased to hear questions of his marital status during interviews and from curious fans. Like the class act that Nick was, he never divulged information about it. He acknowledged the fact that he was in the process of ending his eight-year marriage, but he never went into details. The same could not be said for his ex-wife. Julie Anne had no qualms about talking about their break-up; she would speak to any magazine that would listen to the sad details of their failed relationship.

Much to Nick’s chagrin, Julie Anne had no filter when it came to the press. She could go on for hours, talking about how fame eventually lead to their parting of ways. Not like Nick couldn’t disagree with her on that one. The pop star life style brought them tremendous joy and ultimately misery. During a period that was supposed to be one of great accomplishment and regained success, 1993 became the year of “betrayal and regret” as Nick liked to put it. For the sake of his daughter, he plastered on a fake smile whenever he could manage. He tried to pretend that his divorce wasn’t that big of a deal, even joked about it at times. It was easy for him, as vulnerable as he was, he could never show it. Like sadness was the only emotion he lacked. That wasn’t the case at all. At no other time in his life had he felt more vulnerable and insecure. The only thing that kept him from breaking down was the love that he had for Tatjana, his one and only child. She was still too young to understand what was happening with her family life, and that made Nick realize that he had to be strong for her and try to keep her naiveté intact.  

That was three years ago. He wished he could erase those painful memories for good; the only way he could was to move on with his life and try to forget. He started dating immediately after he separated from Julie Anne, as if to show that he wasn’t broken by the ordeal. He was in a serious relationship with a woman named Madeleine for quite some time. He adored her and finally thought he could get over the turmoil of his past. Much to his dismay, they both wanted different things, the proverbial excuse for breaking up. Nick didn’t oppose the idea of marriage, but Madeleine did. The break-up happened two weeks prior and Nick was still feeling the sting of rejection.

So there he was, in a five-star hotel in the center of Las Vegas sharing a room with a mysterious woman. “My life has become a terrible movie cliché”, he thought. He couldn’t help but smile at the situation. He planned to stay in Nevada for a week with Simon and Warren. They were promoting their album Medazzaland and planned to make the most of it. What he hadn’t planned on was drinking himself under the table and forgetting twelve hours of his life.

His headache was finally starting to cease a bit. From outside the bathroom door he heard the bed creaking and he knew his mystery lady had finally woken up. He wished he could remember what happened between the two of them. From the looks of it the night was wild. He didn’t even remember what she looked like. Before exiting the bathroom; Nick took one final look in the mirror and shamefully whispered, “This is what your life has become... fix it.”

 

 


	2. Found Out About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl wakes up to a shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to my best friend for proofreading this.

Adrienne looked over in shock as she read the alarm clock on the end table next to her. It was well past noon and she noticed that her clothing was scattered on the floor. Still half-asleep, she removed the bed sheet covering her body and noticed that she was partially nude. Looking around she noticed that she was not in her own room. The room she was in was much too extravagant to be her own. Adrienne quickly jumped out of bed, which in hindsight was a terrible idea being that she felt the full impact of her headache at that moment. She wasn’t aware of it before. She winced at the pain as she caressed her forehead. She carefully searched the room for her clothes and once she found them, she put them on as quickly as she could. Running her fingers through her tangled chestnut hair, Adrienne sat on the edge of the messy bed. She had no recollection of the past night. It was so out of character for her to wake up with a seething hangover in a hotel room she didn’t even recognize.

Adrienne usually didn’t even drink except on certain occasions. Just the fact that she was alone in Las Vegas was an obvious error in her judgment to the fullest extent. She wondered why she would subject herself to such humiliation. As she was mentally scolding herself, she came to the realization that whomever she’d spent the night with was in the bathroom. She heard the faucet running, and then several minutes later she heard it turn off. This realization had her panicking. Adrienne could only imagine the type of man she would attract in her state of intoxication. If her hangover was any indication of her condition last night… she must have been _plastered_.

Even when she was sober, Adrienne had a difficult time attracting men of quality and substance. She couldn’t believe that she put herself in this situation. She felt like ripping her hair out by the roots, arguing that the pain would jolt her out of this nightmare. Her mind was reeling and all she could think about was finding her Doc Martens and sprinting out of that room as fast as possible. Once she found her boots under the bed, she put them on without even bothering to lace them up. Adrienne checked her jean pockets to find her driver’s license, cursing at the fact she couldn’t find it.

“Fuck!” She whispered to herself. She searched the annoying front pockets of her plaid shirt and found nothing. She looked at the room and sighed to herself as she realized she had to explore every possible place a tiny piece of plastic could hide in. Adrienne looked frantically for her only form of identification under the bed, near the end tables, even in the closet. A moment later, she noticed the desk near the entrance of the room. She made a mess as she pushed everything off the top of it and pulled the drawers out completely. There was nothing she wanted more than to escape, she didn’t care if she had to destroy every price of furniture in sight. Finally, she found her license underneath a pile of papers and breathed a sigh of relief.

Just when she was about to leave, Adrienne noticed an intricate piece of paper with her signature on it. She read her full legal name and the one next to it.  Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar name next to hers. Her heart momentarily jumped until she realized that there were at least several people who shared that name. She thought it was odd that her name was written on a piece of paper she didn’t remember signing. A second later she got another shock and it glared right out her. She was so absorbed in reading the two signatures; she didn’t bother to read the rest. This was no ordinary piece of paper, it was a certificate. A marriage certificate.

Adrienne stared at the words “Certificate of Marriage” as if she didn’t know what they meant. But the moment reality hit her, she felt her heart race. She picked up the certificate and her hands started to shake violently as she did. She read the certificate in its entirety out loud.

“This is to certify that Nicholas James Bates and Adrienne Elyse Emerson have united in marriage on the seventh day of August, in the year of 1997.” When she stopped reading she noticed she was breathing heavily, almost to the point of hyperventilation. Once she calmed down, she stared blankly at the wall in front of her, as if it could explain to her what she had just read. Her grey eyes stared intently as she tried to process this newfound information all at once. As much as she wanted to remember her own wedding, her mind was drawing a complete blank. She could only remember what happened before that night. Memories of yesterday afternoon came to her quickly; they flickered through her head rapidly like scenes from a movie.

Adrienne remembered getting off her plane and hailing a taxi to her hotel. She recalled why she was alone. Her roommate was supposed to join her but an emergency had her cancel at the last minute. Adrienne was disappointed so once she checked into her room; she left the hotel in search of the nearest bar. She rarely drank, having just turned twenty-one the week before. Only occasionally did she drink, when she attended college parties or rowdy music concerts.  The fact that she would be alone in Las Vegas for an entire week had her completely depressed. She found solace in the fact that there was a casino across the street from her hotel that served alcohol nonstop. From there on, her memory became a complete haze.

The sound of a door opening snapped her out of reverie. She was too scared to turn around to see who emerged from the doorway. She knew it couldn’t be the person she thought… or wanted it to be. She tried to rationalize that many people shared the same name… surely. When she heard the man clear his throat to get her attention, she finally turned around. He was closer than she’d thought, only several feet away. She was looking at the floor, but found the courage to meet his gaze. She received yet another shock, but this time it was a very pleasant one.

There was no doubt in her mind who he was. It really _was_ him! Her heart started to beat faster than it ever had before. He was right there in the flesh. She’d recognize him anywhere, any time, and any light. How could she forget getting married to Nick Rhodes?!

Their silence was beginning to get awkward as they just stared at each other. She gave him a shy smile in hopes of breaking the tension. Nick smiled back and Adrienne felt her nerves dissipate slightly when he did so. For a moment she’d forgotten about the legally binding certificate in her hand.

He was so beautiful to her. Disheveled, but beautiful nonetheless. Much like her, he looked like he’d been through hell. Adrienne managed to rip her eyes away from his brilliant green eyes, as much as she didn’t want to. She silently raised the marriage certificate and presented it to him, noting the same look of total shock he suddenly had on his face, the look she had just moments before. He looked at the certificate and back at her several times, trying to make a connection between the foreign name next to his own. He’d never been more confused in his life.

Somehow understanding his state delusion, Adrienne finally spoke. “Maybe we should talk?” She felt foolish stating the obvious question, but she was getting worried.  It was like his face was frozen in shock, his expression hadn’t changed whatsoever.

After several more moments, his face began to soften. He knew he had to pull it together in order to fully comprehend what was happening. He looked her in the eyes and simply nodded.

It was going to be one hell of a day. 

 


	3. When I Come Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How's it going to be? You decide.

Nick and Adrienne stayed speechless while lying on the bed with their legs hanging off the end. Both stared quietly at the ceiling while their minds went into overdrive. Calmly, they continued to stare aimlessly as they thought of what to say.

_Remember! Please for the love of God, remember! Damn it!_ Nick’s thought process was scattered as he tried to understand the situation he was in. As much as he tried to keep his composure in place, he felt like he was losing his mind more and more every second. _Just how drunk was I?_ He asked himself. _How’d that song go again? He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink, he drinks a lager drink, he drinks a cider drink. He sings the songs- oh, stop it, man! You’re delusional!_

Serious as this was, Nick had to laugh it off somehow in his head. How could he do this to himself? Bad enough he got drunk to the point where he forgot a small portion of his life, but he also managed to meet a complete stranger and marry her without his recollection at all.

He had to admit…it was funny. This entire situation was hysterical. If this had happened to someone else, he would be doubled over in laughter by now.  Unfortunately for him, this disaster was sprung on him and an unassuming young woman. But it could have been worse. It seemed that even blazed out of his mind; Nick had a talent for picking up women.

The moment he saw her, he could note the look of fear on her face as she tuned to look at him. He knew she recognized him because when she saw him, her fearful expression turned to one of utter surprise. Nick could tell that she experienced the same type of night he had. Her brown hair was a tangled mess and her clothes were wrinkled. It was obvious that she had no fashion sense by the way she was dressed. Her clothes were oversized and looked like they belonged to a teenage boy. But even beneath her ravaged appearance, Nick could see just how lovely she really was. She had an innocently beautiful face and a wonderful smile. Her eyes were a light grey color that bore into his soul when she stared at him.

 But all rational thought escaped him the moment he saw that marriage certificate in front of his face. He felt delirious. Everything in his life was changing drastically… once again. 

_\----------_

That awkward silence was back again and Adrienne couldn’t let it go on like that for another minute. She sat up and looked directly at Nick, who was still staring up at the ceiling trying to think.

“Nick, we _really_ need to talk. I know you’re shocked and everything, but so am I. Just imagine my surprise to find myself half-naked in a strange room with no memory whatsoever, and then finding a marriage certificate with my signature on it.”

Adrienne continued to stare intently at Nick as she waited for any response that could prove to her that he wasn’t catatonic all of a sudden.  She was relieved when he sat up on the bed to face her.

“You mean to tell me that you can’t remember anything from last night either?” Nick asked with a quizzical expression on his face.

Adrienne shook her head. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Well that’s just fantastic, isn’t it? I wake up next to some mysterious stranger, discover I’m married, and neither of us can tell the other what the bloody hell happened!” He didn’t mean to shout so scornfully, but the stress was becoming too much to handle.

Adrienne could understand where he was coming from. They were both feeling panicky and confused, but she knew they would have to ride it out until they knew for sure what they were going to do.

“Look, I wish I could remember the details of last night, but from the looks of it, neither of us were in any capable condition to make reasonable decisions.”

“I just can’t understand how this possibly could have happened.” Nick said, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair.” This is the most outlandish thing I’ve ever done… or at least in the top five.” He smiled.

That made Adrienne laugh. “Oh, it’s pretty obvious what caused us to forget so much. I mean, we had to have been hammered… blitzed, wasted, smashed, plastered, shredded, thrashed-“

He interrupted with a laugh.”Um, yeah… I think I get it. We were very, _very_ drunk. That’s a given.”

She looked at him seriously this time. “So, what’s going to happen now?” She had that worried look in her eyes again.

Now there it was, the question Adrienne knew Nick was dreading to answer… and even think about.

And once again there was silence.

\----------

Nick didn’t want to think of the consequences that this marriage would eventually lead to. He knew they had basic carnal knowledge of each other, based on the condition he found himself in when he woke up. So an annulment was probably out of the question.

From what he knew, Nick had only two options: go through _another_ tragedy of a divorce or stay married to a complete stranger. He didn’t even want to think of going through the pain of a divorce all over again, even if it was a mistake he was married in the first place. Just the word “divorce” resonated terribly in his head. It was insane to think he could stay married to this woman… or was it? He wasn’t quite over his break-up with Madeleine, and there was no excuse to why he got married to someone else. Even for vengeful purposes.  

He hardly thought it was appropriate to ask this girl to stay married. She barely looked old enough to be an adult. If he had to guess, she was probably in her late teens or very early twenties. There was no chance that she had enough stability in her life to be married already.

But then again, that’s exactly what people said when Nick got married at a young age. At age twenty-two, he thought he was mature enough to take on the responsibility of becoming a married man. No matter how many times his parents and friends protested, he wanted to prove to them that he was capable of maintaining a lasting relationship with the woman he loved. The woman he _thought_ he loved. But that was so long ago, over a decade has passed. It felt even longer to him than that for some reason. He knew he couldn’t dwell on the past anymore. He never regretted his marriage to Julie Anne, but he did regret the way it ended.

Back then, he knew exactly what he wanted out of life. He got it. He lost some of it. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what he wanted. It scared him that he couldn’t come up with a plan to control his own life.  Nick came to the realization that his accidental bride, Adrienne, had to be the one to decide their fate.

With angst painted across his face, he said, “You decide.”


	4. Real World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hints, allegations, and things left unsaid.

 

Adrienne couldn’t believe that Nick just gave her total control of the situation. Without a doubt it would be the biggest decision of her adult life. She never pictured that she would get married… ever, especially not to a pop star she’s been fawning over for years. A part of her wanted to shout with joy and proclaim to the world that she was married to Nick Rhodes. Another part of her wanted to be serious. She knew this marriage was beyond a sham. Neither of them were sober enough the night before to make critical decisions.  It was just one bad step after another.

Adrienne also knew that divorce was one thing that Nick never wanted to go through again. Her heart broke every time she read tabloids and newspapers narrating the downfall of his marriage. It was like she was going through it herself. She could only imagine the agony he went through during that time. Adrienne would never want him to go through with that again. If she could prevent his misery in any way, she would.

She wanted to believe that she was doing the right thing for the sake of Nick’s sanity, but she mainly just wanted to stay married to him. She fantasized and dreamt about being married to him, as many women have over the years, but this was reality.

It was Adrienne’s turn to be silent now. She hadn’t said anything for several minutes. She realized that she had to think logically. Nick and she were different in so many ways. Not only different in age, but life experiences as well. They grew up in totally contrasting time periods with different music and style. She was just a child when Duran Duran was the most popular.  In fact, she didn’t know they existed until the Big Thing album came out. They probably had nothing in common.

But that wasn’t going to stop her from pursuing a longtime fantasy.

“I think we should see where this goes,” Adrienne said nervously.

She noticed that Nick had a surprisingly serene look on his face. As if he _wanted_ to hear her say that.

“We can give it a month or two just to see if this can turn into something… real,” she continued to speak.

He nodded slowly, "I think we can try.”

A wave of relief and relaxation rushed over Adrienne when she heard him say that. She smiled and replied, “So can I.”

\---------

Both of them looked at each other sweetly, until Nick looked behind him suddenly to check the time on the alarm clock.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself as he got off the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m late for rehearsal. And I mean _really_ late _…_ even for me.” He quickly walked into the bathroom and raked his fingers through his hair.

“I’m sure the guys will understand, given the night you had.”

Nick looked at her sincerely for a moment and walked over to her again."I need you to understand that no one can know about this. We can’t tell anyone, not even our friends and family. Not until we get to know each other at least.”

Adrienne felt slightly disappointed, but understood what he meant. She didn’t want to tarnish his reputation with the media. If word got out, the tabloids would be relentless. She didn’t like the idea of lying, but it was the only way to keep their marriage a secret.

Nick had finished grooming his blonde hair and it looked immaculate. Adrienne couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment. She noticed he wasn’t wearing any make up, but he looked absolutely exquisite. _He’s so perfect_ , she thought. In that moment she didn’t care how many lies she had to tell or how many secrets she had to keep. She was going to do everything in her power to keep this man in her life.

“I understand,” she stated quietly.

He smiled in appreciation. “Thank you, I’m very grateful for what you’re doing here. I know it won’t be easy, so we just have to take it one step at a time.”

Adrienne smiled back in response, and then looked at the alarm clock. “Shouldn’t you be going to rehearsal? Time isn’t going to freeze if you stay here talking to me.”

With that, Nick quickly put on his shoes and took one last look in the bathroom mirror. “I don’t even have time to change.” He grimaced at his appearance.” Last night is definitely evident on my part.”

Adrienne couldn’t help but smirk. “Well, I think you still look fabulous.”

“You’re just saying that because I’m your husband,” he teased as tried to put on a tie he found in one of his suitcases.

He made her laugh. She was glad that he could find humor during a time like this.

Adrienne reached over to fix his tie, which he was still fumbling with. When she was done, she looked him straight in the eyes and stated,"I know you have no reason to trust me in any way. You don’t know me, and as much as I want to _think_ that I know you, I really don’t. I just want to get to know you, and not just what your favorite color is or what your preferred brand of hairspray is. I want to know what makes your laugh and I want to know how I can make you happy to the fullest extent.”

Nick thoughtfully held her gaze for several seconds and said,” You’re making it easier for me to trust you with every word you say.”

“I really mean it.”

Nick stared at the clock once more. “I feel so terrible for just leaving you alone like this. There are so many things we need to talk about.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find something to do, I guess.”

“I’ll make it up to you. Have dinner with me tonight. I want to learn everything about you.”

She smiled. “No better way to get to know someone than over fine dining."My room number is 420; you can come over when you’re done with rehearsal.”

“It’s a date then.” He wrote his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “Call me if you need anything or if plans change. The guys and I shouldn’t take too long to rehearse.”

She nodded, “Will do.”

They both walked toward the entrance of the room.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to leave before I get fired from my own band,” Nick chuckled.

As he left the room, they waved goodbye to each other. Adrienne stared longingly as she watched him leave. “That’s my husband,” she whispered to herself.

\----------

It just then donned on her that she was going to have dinner with the most glamorous human beings she would ever have the honor of meeting… and she had nothing to wear.

Adrienne decided to go back to her own room to find something acceptable to wear on a dinner date with a pop star.

She took the nearest elevator to the floor her room was on. Once she got to the door, she opened it with her key and went inside. It was nothing compared to Nick’s room, but it was functional at the very least. Adrienne looked through her suitcase but found nothing appropriate to wear for the night to come. She wasn’t expecting to go out to fine dining establishments of any kind during her stay in Las Vegas, so she didn’t pack accordingly.

_Talk about packing light. God, it’s like plaid verses other plaid,_ she thought as she chided herself on her fashion choices.

Adrienne groaned as she realized she would need to go shopping, something she always dreaded doing. She had no choice, her wardrobe was less than perfect and she wanted to look like the type of woman that Nick would normally be attracted to… not accidentally.

\---------

Despite her annoyance, Adrienne called a taxi to meet her at the hotel. She changed out of her wrinkled clothes and into a T-shirt and ripped jeans. She left the room and made her way to the ground floor of the hotel. Her taxi was waiting for her and she got in.

“Fashion Show Mall, please,” she told the driver and off they went.

Adrienne hated malls, but she didn’t know where else to go. She knew the Fashion Show Mall was iconic in Las Vegas, so she figured that she should tough it out and just go. After fifteen minutes, the taxi pulled up to the entrance of the mall. Adrienne tipped the driver and got out.

She’d seen pictures of the Fashion Show Mall, but nothing prepared her for what she was about to enter. The place was massive and incredibly overwhelming. Adrienne came there thinking that she would buy a nice dress for her special occasion and then just leave. That wasn’t going to be the case. There were so many stores on so many levels; she didn’t know where to begin. The mall reeked of hairspray and perfume, something she always hated the most about malls. She groaned to herself as she made her way further in.

It seemed like hours as Adrienne wandered through the crowded establishment, when in fact it was only thirty minutes that she was there. Just when she was about to get really frustrated, she remembered that Nick gave her his phone number. Adrienne figured that rehearsals were over and that he was free. Though she didn’t want to bother him with her frivolous needs, she was getting desperate. He had excellent fashion sense and would be of great help.

Adrienne found the nearest payphone and dialed his number, hoping he would pick up and end her misery once and for all.

 


	5. Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick has the daunting task of keeping secrets from his band mates.

 

Nick arrived to rehearsal across town an hour and a half late, much to the dismay of his bandmates.  He could hear Simon and Warren cursing his existence as he casually walked into the studio building as if everything was completely normal.

“Finally! Nick, where the fuck have you been?” Exclaimed Simon as he pointed at his watch. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Nick looked irritated all of a sudden. “Yes, I know what time it is. I know how to read a fucking clock, Simon.” After the morning he had, Nick wasn’t about to get scolded like an unruly teenager. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I lost track of time. Just forget about it and let’s get started.”

Simon frowned at his friend’s slightly haggard appearance. “You’re bloody knackered aren’t you? You cruise in here over an hour late and you want us to brush it off as if nothing’s wrong? I don’t think so! I want to know what happened last night. You look like you spent the night in an alleyway.”

Warren was busy tuning his guitar when looked over and angrily said, “I think we wasted enough time already. I mean, seriously, this rehearsal was supposed to take two hours max.”

Simon turned to his irate bandmate and stated, “We have the studio for the entire week, Warren.”

“Yeah, but we have a show to do in two days and we’re not even fucking ready!” Warren yelled out in frustration.

Nick stood over by the corner wanting to bang his head against the wall. He wanted nothing more than to finish with this mindless rehearsal and forget this day ever happened in the first place. Simon and Warren finished arguing after an everlasting amount of time. They both stared at Nick as he quietly leaned against the wall.

“Well?” Simon started.

“Well what?” Nick asked sharply.

Simon crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Tell us what happened last night! Hell, it must’ve been pretty fucked up from the looks of it. You’re wearing the same clothes you were yesterday and… are you not wearing make-up?” He asked incredulously as he looked at Nick’s face.

Nick quickly tried to change the subject. “As soon as I walked through the door, you started reprimanding me about how late I was, but now _you’re_ the one halting rehearsal. You heard what Warren said, we’ll never be ready to perform in two days. So let’s just start!” He was really starting to get agitated.

Warren stared at Nick curiously for a moment. “I want to hear this too, actually. What _did_ happen last night? The least you could’ve done was call in sick or something.”

Simon and Warren were putting Nick on the spot at that moment. But there was no chance that he was going to tell those two scavengers of human misery about the events of the previous night… not that he could tell them much to begin with anyway.

He just shrugged it off. “Rough night is all.”

Simon tried to press him on further. “Don’t give me that. I mean, just look at yourself in the mirror, man! You look like you just escaped from a car accident and I can’t remember the last time I haven’t seen you without eyeliner on.”

“Were you in a bar fight or something?” Warren inquired but couldn’t keep from laughing as he said it. He turned to Simon, who also fell into a fit of laughter. Apparently neither of them could imagine such a scenario… for obvious reasons. “Never mind,” he said breathlessly.

Nick just stood there looking deeply annoyed at his cackling friends. He rolled his eyes. “Well if you two are done laughing at the travesty that is my life, can we get started?”

Simon and warren looked at each other and knew Nick wasn’t going to say anything further, so they dropped the subject for the moment. Simon threw his hands up in defeat and turned to look at Nick. “Very well, let’s get on with it.” Nick couldn’t have looked more relieved.

\----------

Each member took their positions and finally began rehearsal after heavy delay. After much arguing and collaborative action, the band managed to get through rehearsal without getting into a brawl. 

Nick was behind his keyboard, fiddling with the keys as he always did when he was bored. For the first time all day, his mind was at ease. He was fully invested in music at the moment and that’s all that really mattered. He thought about the future. For some reason he wasn’t stressed out like he thought he should’ve been. He’d come to terms with his bizarre marriage arraignment in a very short amount of time. Nick couldn’t wait to back to the hotel and get to know his wife. It seemed quite strange to do things backwards, get married and _then_ learn about his spouse. He realized that nothing in his life was _ever_ normal and nothing was going to change that. So that meant that his second marriage was destined to be far-out.

“Nick, you have a phone call!” Simon called out, breaking Nick’s train of thought. He walked over to the phone booth.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know, some bird named Adrienne.”

As soon as Nick heard her name, he grabbed the phone from Simon’s hand.

“Adrienne, is everything alright?” He asked with a hint of concern. He didn’t think she had a reason to call.

“Yeah, of course everything’s fine. I just really need your help, I’m pretty desperate right now.” Nick heard her giggle nervously and then sigh.

“Help with what?”

“Shopping.”

“Beg Pardon?” His face appeared confused.

“I’m at the Fashion Show Mall and I’m calling from a payphone. I realized I had nothing to wear tonight for dinner so I decided to come over here. I know that you have really great fashion sense and… I totally don’t. Can you come over and help, please?” She begged.

“Of course, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just stay where you are and I’ll find you.”

“I really appreciate it. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Not at all, we just finished rehearsal.”

“That’s a relief,” she sighed. “I’ll be right here waiting. Thank you for doing this.”

“It’s my pleasure. I’ll see you there, good-bye.”

“Bye.”

Nick hung up the phone only to find Simon standing next to him with a wicked smirk on his face.

Nick shot him a quizzical look. “What now?”

“Who was that?”

“No one.”

“That didn’t sound like just no one. Is she the reason why you came in so late and look the way you do right now?”

Nick realized he couldn’t talk his way out of this one. “Maybe,” he said nonchalantly.

Simon still had that  same smirk plastered on. “Well you rebound fast,” he joked while playfully messing with Nick’s hair. “How’d you meet her?”

Nick didn’t really know how to answer that. He himself didn’t know how met Adrienne, it was all still a mystery to him. “We met at a casino,” he simply stated, not knowing if it was the truth.

Simon nodded. “Is she going to meet the rest of band anytime soon?”

“I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it.”

“Afraid we’ll scare her off?” Simon scoffed.

Nick smiled innocently. “It’s like you read my mind.”

Simon turned to Nick and looked very serious. He put his arm around Nick’s shoulders in a friendly manner. “Nick, I’ve known you since you were seventeen and even though we have our arguments, I want you to know that I truly care about you. I really want to look after you, I mean you’re like a brother to me. You’ve been absolutely miserable these past couple of weeks and its had me worried. Maybe you shouldn’t get attached to someone right now, not until you’re certain you can handle it.”

Nick took his friend’s declaration to heart. “I appreciate the concern, Simon. I really do, believe me when I say that. The past few years haven’t been easy and I’m finally starting to realize that my life will _never_ be easy, so I might as well just throw caution to the wind. I might set myself up for heartache and disaster in the end again, but at least I know that I’ll be able to bounce back. I’ve done so before.”

Simon nodded again, this time with a smile of slight admiration. “That’s quite audacious, my good man. Good luck.”

After a slight pause, Nick looked over at Simon’s watch and realized he should leave.

“I have somewhere to be. There’s a woman in distress that needs me at the moment.”

Simon raised an eyebrow again. “What kind of distress?”

“Shopping.”

Simon laughed, “Of course it is. I guess I’ll see you around, mate.” They shook hands as Nick walked out the studio doors. His limousine was outside and he quickly got in. He asked the driver to take him to the mall that Adrienne was at. He was looking forward to helping the poor girl out with her unfortunate fashion problems. He had a secret fetish for dressing women up like they’re mannequins, so this was going to be a breezy experience for him.

When the limo arrived at the mall, Nick got out and made his way into the entrance. He didn’t need to search long for Adrienne, for she was leaning against a wall by the payphone area near the front of the building. She was twirling her hair around her finger looking extremely bored. Nick thought she looked adorable, so pouty and annoyed. Her face brightened up when she saw him.

Adrienne ran to him and threw her arms around him, catching Nick slightly off guard. She hugged him tightly. “You’re here! Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I hate shopping. It’s like torture to me.”

Once she loosened her grip on him, Nick stared at her in minor shock. “I’ve never met a woman who didn’t like to shop.”

She smiled at him. “Well, today’s you’re unlucky day, because you just met one.”

Nick groaned silently at the thought of forcing someone to do something they hated doing. Then he noticed that Adrienne was still grinning at him.

“You know, for someone who hates shopping so much, why do you look so cheery?”

“For some reason, I don’t think it’ll be so bad today,” she said looking him deeply in the eyes. No one’s looked at him like that for long time.

He couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll try to make this experience as painless as possible,” he joked.

Adrienne laughed, “That’s all I can ask for.”

Nick looked at the vast openness of the Fashion Show Mall. He’d visited there before, so he knew where to go more or less. He looked over at Adrienne who looked surprisingly at ease, unlike this morning. She seemed to be getting more comfortable around him. Shopping was one of his favorite pastimes, so he hoped he could convince her to enjoy it somehow. For the time being, he walked with her toward the escalators and started their spending excursion. 

 


	6. Mr. Jones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mall episode... part one.

 

Nick and Adrienne’s journey started at a wildly expensive boutique located at the furthest end of the mall. Adrienne couldn’t feel more out of place if she tried. Surrounded by impeccably dressed people of high class, she felt like walking straight out the door and forgetting about the whole thing entirely. She knew she couldn’t do that, not after Nick so graciously dragged himself over just to help her out. Adrienne took a deep breath and looked over at Nick who was busy scanning the area. She looked at her reflection in a large mirror. She thought she looked like a wandering juvenile who mistakenly walked into the store by accident. Adrienne loudly sighed as Nick looked over at her.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” Nick said as he walked over to the back of the boutique and started searching the clothing racks. Adrienne was right next to him, daring not to get in his way. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, going through racks of beautifully made dresses and skirts. Adrienne stared at him in awe. She never went shopping, not only because she disliked it so much, but because she had no idea what to shop for. Adrienne had been a tomboy her entire life and didn’t act ultra-feminine either. She knew she was completely out of her element.

“Don’t just stand there and stare at me. You have to be an active participant in this also,” she heard him say.

“But I don’t know what to look for,” she couldn’t help but whine even though she didn’t mean to sound so childish. ”Just look at me, I’m dressed like I’m going to Lollapalooza.”

“Don’t try so hard. Just point at something you like and go try it on. Shopping really doesn’t have to be such a hassle.”

Adrienne looked through a generous selection of clothing and pulled out a black sleeveless turtleneck dress. She showed it to him. “That’s not so hideous.”

He laughed slightly. “Well at least that’s a start. I’ll wait here while you’re in the dressing room.”

She made her way into the dressing room and looked at the dress she picked out. It wasn’t her style, but then again, nothing in the store was. She clumsily removed her clothing and put the dress on, struggling with the zipper along the way. For some reason there was no mirror in her dressing room so she couldn’t see what she looked like. It was a very short dress and tight around the body. Adrienne had never worn anything like that before and she felt somewhat uncomfortable. But she emerged from the dressing room anyway. She looked around for any sign of Nick. She saw him by the women’s shoe section of the boutique talking to a highly attractive blonde woman. It was obvious by the huge grin on her face that she was a fan. Adrienne saw him sign an autograph for the woman and when she received it she just wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly for just a second. She thanked him and went on her merry way. Adrienne recognized that lovesick look in the girl’s eyes, much like her own.

Adrienne walked over to him and saw his facial expression change right away. She noticed how large his eyes got as he looked her up and down. No one’s ever reacted to her in such a way before.

“How does it look?” She asked in an insecure manner while trying to adjust the hem of the dress.

His eyes were glued to her figure and they weren’t going anywhere. “You’re absolutely stunning,” he blurted out artlessly.

“Really?” She didn’t really believe him.

Nick continued to state at her with a look of adoration combined with perplexity. He nodded and stated, “You’re breathtaking. Have you looked in the mirror?”

“No, there wasn’t one in the dressing room.” She noticed there was a mirror nearby and walked in front of it. What she saw in the reflection pleasantly surprised her. “Wow,” she whispered.

“See how glorious you look?” Nick walked behind her. “I had no idea what your body even looked like before.” He was blatantly staring at her legs now, while she was constantly pulling on the hem of her dress to keep it from ridding up. As short as it was, it accentuated her slender waistline and abnormally long legs.

“I like the dress a lot but it’s really short. If I bend over the wrong way, it’ll go from dress to belt right before our eyes,” she quipped, still admiring herself in the mirror, neither she nor Nick could take their eyes away from her body.

“I have to agree with that but you look so spectacular. Just get it and wear it out of the store. There’s no chance that I’ll let you change out of that dress.”

She couldn’t help but blush at his praise towards her. “You leave me no choice I guess.”

Nick looked down and noticed her bare feet. “You need shoes, madam.”

“I know,” she sighed, looking at her bare toes. “At least we’re in the right place. “Adrienne looked around at the abundance of shoes displayed meticulously on the shelves. They were all high-heeled shoes of varying heights. She was never a fan of them, being that she was already much taller than average. She saw no point in wearing them. Adrienne was nearly three inches taller than Nick, but that wasn’t going to be an issue. He always had a fondness towards tall women for some reason. Adrienne never thought she would find a man who wasn’t daunted by her height… let alone marry him.

\----------

After some thoughtless searching, Adrienne was attracted to a particular pair of heels that were silver and strappy. She actually liked the way they looked; the only problem was that they were quite high. Adrienne spotted Nick reading a magazine just several feet away from her, he was seated on a bench designated for miserable husbands and boyfriends waiting for their partners to finish shopping. She had to bite her lip to keep from giggling, realizing that even a man notorious for shopping can get blasé about it after a certain period in time. She walked over to him with her shoes in hand.

“Do you think I can walk in these?” She held the shoes in front of him as he tore his eyes away from the magazine.

“Anything’s possible,” he remarked with a cheeky smile. Adrienne responded by giving him a fake look of disapproval as she sat next to him. She tried the shoes on and carefully stood up as she tried to walk for the first time in high heels. It proved to be harder than she thought it would be. She took a few steps forward and almost immediately tripped, but Nick caught her before she hit the ground. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closely to him. She held on to him just enough to stabilize herself on shaky legs.

“Nick Rhodes, you’re my hero,” Adrienne joked in a flirtatious tone.

“I’m useful for something at least, though I should know better than to leave clueless women to their own devices.”

Adrienne laughed and shook her head in embarrassment. “You’ve got me on that one. I’m completely clueless when it comes to walking in heels. I bet walking on broken glass would be easier.”

“It just takes some finesse. You’ll learn to walk in them eventually.”

Finesse was something Adrienne knew she didn’t have, but she kept any negative comments to herself. “You better catch me if I fall again.”

He laughed at her threat. “That’s what I’m here for, my darling.”

Adrienne blushed again at his term of endearment as she tried walking a few steps on wobbly legs. Somehow she managed to keep from tripping over her own two feet. After a certain time, she was able to walk with stability, though awkward it looked.

“Oh my God, I can walk without falling over!” She smiled triumphantly. “And my ankles remain unbroken. All in all, not a terrible day for shopping.”

He sighed in relief. “Glad to hear that. I told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“It really wasn’t, but we’ve been here for over an hour now. I’ve had quite enough shopping for one day. Can we leave now?”  It was more of a plea than a simple question.

“If you insist,” Nick said with a half-smile.

“I guess I’m wearing this out of the store,” she referred to her dress. Adrienne checked the price tag on it and her eyes widened in obvious shock. “Why does a piece of fabric that barely covers my body have to be so fucking expensive?”

“It’s Valentino,” Nick simply stated and couldn’t have been more matter-of-fact. Evidently he wasn’t used to sticker shock like most of society.

“Wasn’t he murdered a few weeks ago?”

“No, you’re thinking of Versace.”

“Oh… well I’m not buying it, it’s too expensive,” she stated, with a level of sass she didn’t know she had.

“Do you honestly believe that I would take you here and not offer to pay?” He asked with a frown.

“I can’t in my right mind let you do that! I’ve known you _consciously_ for about three hours now and I can’t let you buy me an outfit that’s worth more than my college education.” She tried to reason with him. “Besides, I’m the one who asked you to come to this mall in the first place.”

“It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

“That’s not the point. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. I know were married and all, but… you’re too nice. It feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

Nick stepped in front of her and looked her directly in the eyes. In the darkest tone Adrienne had ever heard, she heard him say, “Believe me, I know exactly when someone’s taking advantage of me.” He paused briefly and continued, “So don’t worry about it.”

 Her heart broke for him as he said that, but she somehow managed a sympathetic smile. “As long as I’m around, I’ll make sure you never experience that again.” She put her hand on his shoulder as a sign of tenderness and understanding.

Nick’s beautiful eyes lit up and he returned her smile. “You just know exactly what to say, don’t you?”

Adrienne responded with a cocky smirk and a sharp nod. “And you’re going to argue with me until I let you buy me this dress, aren’t you?”

“Oh, absolutely! I have nowhere else to be. We could be here for hours.” It sounded like he was joking, but Adrienne knew about his unyielding personality. He was relentless until he got exactly what he wanted. That was something she actually admired about him.

She sighed audibly in mock annoyance. “Fine, stubborn personified. Buy it if it gets us out of here sooner.”

He flashed her a cunning smirk, looked around the store, and exclaimed to no one in particular, “Ring it up!”

 


	7. Another Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make-up, dating and restless nights.

 

After an eventful afternoon of shopping, Nick and Adrienne made their way out of the boutique and straight into the excess of spending known as the rest of the mall.

“So tell me why you hate malls so much,” Nick asked as they passed endless rows of kiosks selling and promoting generic, yet somehow expensive perfume.

“The smell is the worst part of it.” She actually cringed as she said that.

“I don’t smell anything.”

“You’re probably used to it. I don’t know if I can describe it but it smells like…it smells like… smells like…”

“Teen Spirit?”

Adrienne broke out into laughter. “No, it smells like… bad perfume… and floor polish.”

“I did happen to notice how obscenely bright these floors are,” he joked.

“It’s giving me a headache. Let’s just leave before I get nauseous.”

“Not before we get your make-up done.” Nick pointed to the salon they just passed. He knew she was eager to leave as soon as possible, but he couldn’t help himself. He just had to know what she’d look like with her make-up and hair done. Adrienne already looked impossibly beautiful in that dress, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. It was remarkable how elegant, yet incredibly sexy she was able to look.

Without even thinking twice, Nick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the salon with him. He could note the look of disappointment and exaggerated angst that only Gen-X youth could produce. It was obvious that she didn’t want to be there… but Nick is a very persuasive person. Without having to speak, his eyes pleaded with her to just work with him on this one. It seemed to have an effect on her. She playfully rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Are you for real? Just when I thought we were done.”

“I promise it won’t take long.”

“Okay,” she acquiesced without further protest.

Within seconds, a couple of stylists came over and Nick immediately pointed to Adrienne as if to say she needed all the help she could get. The message got across and the stylists had Adrienne sit in front of a mirror. They examined her like surgeons about to carry out a serious operation. When they were finished, one stylist began applying make-up to her face with fine precision, while the other styled her hair up and out of her face. Along the way, Nick got into a light argument with the make-up artist on the proper way to apply eyeliner. Needless to say, no one won that argument.

In no time, the stylists were finished torturing the fashionably challenged girl. She looked fabulous. Adrienne was one of those women that were naturally beautiful on their own, with her bright grey eyes and refined features.  She didn’t need to wear make-up but it made her look dramatic and sensual. Nick looked at Adrienne’s reaction in the mirror when she saw the end result. She seemed to like what she saw, but she looked back at him as if for a sign of approval. He stared at her for a long time; he’d never met someone so unaware of their own allure. She affected him in a way he couldn’t describe. He smiled at her, not able to find the words to tell her how beautiful she was. She smiled back and that was all that needed to be done.

“We can leave now if you want,” he said after the never-ending silence.

“Finally!” Adrienne was quick to jump out of her chair and head for the exit. She seemed happy to leave to say the least. Nick followed her out of the salon. He checked his watch and realized that somehow time slipped away from them.

“We need to go back to the hotel,” he told her.

“Why?”

“I have to change my clothes. I look like hell.”

She laughed softly, “If hell looks anything like you, I wouldn’t mind visiting.”

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Well aren’t you a smooth talker! You know flattery will get you everywhere in this world. But I mean it, we have to go back. I have restaurant reservations that I actually intend to keep for once.”

Nick and Adrienne continued walking until they exited the mall and hailed a cab back to the hotel. Nick told Adrienne to keep the meter running while he went into the hotel and got to his room. There he changed faster than he ever had before, just throwing on clothing and hoping that everything matched. He appeared out of his room in a dark grey suit and quickly made his way back to the taxi where Adrienne waited.

When Adrienne saw him again, she looked captivated by his appearance. “You clean up nicely, Mr. Rhodes.”

“As do you, my dear wife.”

She laughed, “I can’t believe I’m someone’s wife!”

“I can’t believe someone agreed to marry me again… accident or not.” That comment had them both bursting into laughter.

They managed to keep their reservations at the restaurant and after ordering dinner, the two of them sat silently across from each other for several minutes. The silence was somewhat awkward until Nick felt it incumbent upon himself to be the one to break the ice. So in typical first date fashion, he asked Adrienne to tell him everything about herself.

For the next half hour, she told him everything he needed to know about her. He learned that she was a 21-year-old college graduate from Denver, Colorado. The one thing he found most fascinating about her was the fact that she was a film studies major.

“What made you decide to study film?” He asked out of curiosity. At that moment, he saw her face light up. Evidently it was a subject she enjoyed talking about.

“I just love movies and everything having to do with them. I’ve always wanted to make my own movies. When I was younger, I had this camcorder that I used to bring everywhere and record everything. Someday I knew that I’d make a living out of it somehow.”

Nick looked at her with a newfound respect. “That’s quite inspired.” He always admired people with passionate dreams and he couldn’t believe that the woman sitting across from him was the same one he found in his hotel room earlier in the afternoon. Adrienne may have been young, but her lack of life experience only made her seem more whimsical to him. Her age wasn’t such a big problem anymore. 

He noticed a loose strand of hair fall to her face, so he reached over and pushed the strand behind her ear. For some reason, he felt the sudden urge to let her hair down and run his fingers through it… but he restrained himself.

\----------

Dinner came and went all too fast. Nick and Adrienne continued to talk all through the night and learned as much about each other as they could. Adrienne already knew a lot about him thanks to the media. They had more in common than Nick originally thought. Both were huge film fanatics and enjoyed every facet of art imaginable. They ended up talking until the restaurant closed, but they could’ve gone on for hours. The time was well past midnight when they decided to return to their hotel. When they got there, Nick walked Adrienne to her room, though he was hesitant to do so. He wouldn’t have minded having her stay in his room for the remainder of the week. But Nick had a bad habit of jumping into relationships too quickly and he didn’t want to keep making that same mistake, so he wanted to take things slowly with Adrienne.

They both lingered by her doorway, reluctant to leave each other.

“So today was…interesting,” she said with a lighthearted laugh.

He nodded and smiled. “I can’t argue with that.”

“I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt so many emotions at once. But I had a lot of fun, so thank you.”

“Oh you’re welcome. Today was quite riveting for me too.”

They stared at each other for a cool minute until Nick realized how late it was. He said good-bye to her and walked to his room. Once Nick was inside, he just looked around and realized how empty the room felt. It seemed larger for some reason. Something was missing. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but Nick was starting to feel lonely. Not even ten minutes had passed since last seeing Adrienne, but he was already starting to miss her companionship. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling that way. They’d only just met. Granted, he was married to the girl, but they were still basically strangers to each other. They may have talked all night, but he only learned certain facts about her. It was going to take time to fully understand what kind of person Adrienne really was. Nick was willing to take all the time he needed. He was going to try to make this screwy relationship work.

Nick quietly got into bed and stared out the large window overlooking Las Vegas. The bright lights of the city were glaring to his eyes, but they were so vibrant and eerily beautiful, he just couldn’t turn away. He was going to spend most of his night staring aimlessly at city lights. It wasn’t like he was going to get much sleep anyway. 

 


	8. Wonderwall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrienne faces loneliness and a chance to see a concert.

 

The nonstop ringing of her cell phone shocked Adrienne out of sleep. She didn’t know where the ringing was coming from until she unwittingly got out of bed. She listened carefully and discovered the sound coming from her closet. She opened the door and saw her suitcase on the floor. The ringing continued so Adrienne quickly searched the zippered pockets of her luggage until she found her phone and answered it.

“Hello?” Adrienne asked with a groggy voice.

“Don’t tell me you just woke up!”

“Mom?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Do you have any idea what time it is?” Her mother was obviously irritated.

Adrienne rubbed her eyes and looked on the nightstand to check her alarm clock. It was three in the afternoon. “Holy shit!” She cried out as she realized the time. By her estimate, it was four o’clock in Colorado.

“Oh, you’ve _got_ to be kidding me! What the hell did you do all night? I called you like seven times and you didn’t answer.”

“Relax, Mom. I’m fine. I’ve just been on vacation time I guess. I’m sorry.” She explained, but didn’t want to divulge any further information.

Her mother was silent for a second. “No, I’m sorry. You’re twenty-one and I’m overprotective. You’re old enough to do whatever you want.”

Adrienne felt seriously guilty. “That doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be worried about me. I really should’ve called back.”

Now they were both silent for a bit until her mother spoke once again. “So how’s Vegas? Did you lose all your money gambling yet?”

“No, Mom,” Adrienne laughed.

“Get any tattoos?”

“No.”

“Body Piercings?”

“No! Stop asking stupid questions. I’m not that dumb.” _Just dumb enough to get married and not know it._

“I’m only joking! Listen, I’ll talk to you later. Your sister’s on the computer and complaining about the modem screech again.”

Adrienne could hear her younger sister yelling on the other end of the phone. “When will Quinn learn there’s nothing you can do about that sound?”

“Since when do 15-year-olds listen to reason?”

“Good point. I’ll call some other time. Love you, bye.”

“Love you, too. Bye, Adrienne.”

Her mother hung up the phone and Adrienne was left in silence. There were so many things she wanted to tell her but couldn’t. As if Dana Emerson would ever believe that her oldest daughter got incredibly drunk two nights ago and was now inexplicably married to a gorgeous older Englishman who just so happened to be a pop star. Just the thought of explaining such a ridiculous set of events to another human being gave Adrienne a major headache. Not only that, but she promised Nick she wouldn’t tell anyone about their marriage, and vice versa. It was incredibly difficult not to tell anyone, especially her own mother, about something so unbelievable and amazing.

As Adrienne sat near the closet, thinking about, well, everything that’s happened to her in the past two days, she heard a knock on the door. She threw her cell phone on the bed and went to go answer the door. Somehow, she was still drowsy from having just woken up, even though it was the middle of the afternoon and her mother scolded her over the phone for it. She opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Nick.

“Hi, Nick,” she blurted out while trying to fix her long hair vainly by running her fingers through it. She knew her hair was a disaster; it was always like that when she woke up. Nick, however, looked extraordinary as usual.

He looked questioningly at her. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, I’ve been up for ages and ages,” she lied, but knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. “My mother just called me. Apparently I’ve missed most of her calls.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, she was just checking up. I didn’t mention you at all just so you know.” Adrienne paused to gauge his reaction, which wasn’t one she expected. He looked almost disappointed in a way.

“I’m not asking you to keep me a secret altogether… just certain details. I told Simon about you at rehearsal yesterday.”

“What did he say?”

“He wished me good luck,” Nick laughed.

Adrienne smiled, “Of course.”

“Um, the reason that I’m here so… appropriately in the afternoon…” he said as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand with a look of false disapproval on his face. Adrienne laughed hard and playfully threw a pillow at him.

“Yeah, I know it’s mid-afternoon and I’m not fully awake. No need to rub it in!”

He smiled innocently. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Anyway, as I was saying. I’m here to let you know that I have another rehearsal today and before tomorrow’s show downtown.”

“I forgot about that. Where’s the show going to be anyway?”

“The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. Yesterday’s rehearsal didn’t go as planned unfortunately,” he sighed. “I wanted to give you something.” He pulled two concert tickets and a plastic tag out of his jacket pocket. Adrienne knew immediately what the tag was.

“Backstage Pass!” She exclaimed as she took it right out of his hand. Under different circumstances, she would have had to sell her soul to get one. Adrienne couldn’t help but be excited. It was finally starting to sink in that she was actually married to Nick Rhodes and was going to be a part of his life somehow. She’d never been to a Duran Duran concert before; they rarely came to Colorado so she never had a chance to see them play. Adrienne was so ecstatic that she just wanted to grab Nick by the shirt collar and kiss him like he’s never been kissed before. As much as she wanted to do that, she refrained herself.

Adrienne looked at the badge in her hand and smiled at Nick. “I’ll definitely be there.”

“Smashing! I’ll have a limousine pick you up around eight o’clock. I’ll be gone most of tomorrow.”

She nodded. “See you until then.” She was somewhat disheartened at the fact she wouldn’t see him for most of the next day.

Nick left shortly after discussing things with Adrienne. She was once again alone in a silent, empty room. She quietly dreamt of the day when she didn’t have to say goodbye to him and suffer countless hours without seeing him. Someday she’d be able to acknowledge him as her husband and let everyone know it. When that day would come was still a mystery. The past night had been torturous for Adrienne; all she could think about was the next time she’d get to see Nick again.

There was nothing she wanted to do but stay in bed and hide under her covers until the next day came. Adrienne looked at her alarm clock, ashamed for waking up at such an ungodly hour and considering staying in bed for another day. How pathetic. But she set her embarrassment aside and buried herself underneath a blanket. She seriously hoped that time would fly by and she’d be enjoying the concert in no time… but, given Adrienne’s luck, time was always cruelly static for her, no matter how much she wanted something.

\---------

Adrienne got out of bed the next day after a restless, miserable sleep that went on for far too long. She realized how hungry she was, not eating for over a day. She called room service and ordered nearly everything on the menu. The hotel staff thought she was having a party up in her room. _Note to self: never order room service when you think you’re starving to death._

When the food arrived, she ravenously began eating a turkey sandwich as if it were her first and last meal. The concert was still several hours away, so Adrienne would have to find a way to entertain herself for the time being. She looked out her window and saw the entire city of Las Vegas at one glance. There was a whole city just waiting to be explored, but she didn’t feel like going anywhere or doing anything. Not all alone at least. She’d feel incredible lonely and even more pathetic if she went sightseeing or wandering around without someone accompanying her. Instead of doing anything even remotely productive, Adrienne decided to stay in again and watch television until her brain cells melted.

After many hours of horrible television, Adrienne was relieved to know that there was only a half hour left before the concert started. She hopped into the shower, dried her hair off, and then quickly got dressed.  The concierge desk called to tell her that the limousine was ready and with that, she left her room and made it to the main floor of the building. The limo was already running and waiting for her, so she rushed inside. It was ten minutes to eight o’clock now, but knowing what the band was like and who their members were; Adrienne already knew the show would start late.

Adrienne arrived at the show, not surprised to see it completely packed with zealous fans. Just as she suspected, the band was running late, but no one in the audience seemed to mind at all. There was a twenty minute delay until the group finally came out and the crowd went insane. It was 1997 and somehow Duran Duran was still relevant. She heard nothing but whistling and shouting, which she avidly joined in on. Adrienne couldn’t remember the last time she smiled so much. She saw Nick and her heart skipped several beats. He looked stunningly handsome and so confident, like he was born to be on stage. She wondered if he noticed her at all since she was quite close to the front.

The concert lasted nearly three hours, but it was as if it all happened in a flash. The gang played songs from the latest album and classic favorites as well. The audience was loud and crazy even as the band waved good-bye and exited the stage. As everyone started to leave the building, Adrienne made her way towards the back of the stage. There were several people already lined up, as well as security guards checking passes.

She flashed her backstage pass to one of the guards and he let her go through. Adrienne went through a hallway that led to a door, when she opened it and walked inside, she discovered a lounge with numerous people hanging around and having drinks. She couldn’t find Nick, Simon, or Warren anywhere. She sat by the bar, but didn’t order anything. Adrienne had sworn off alcohol until she was responsible enough to drink without getting into scandalous situations. All of a sudden, she heard a round of applause coming from several people in the lounge. Adrienne looked over and saw the band come in from a door near the back. People surrounded them from all angles, wanting autographs and a chance to take pictures. Patiently, she decided to wait until the group got smaller, for her own safety. After several minutes, she looked over and Nick was finishing up someone’s autograph. He glanced at her, so she smiled and waved at him.

Adrienne walked over to him and exclaimed, “You guys were fantastic!” She couldn’t help but throw her arms around his shoulders and kiss him on the cheek repeatedly. It was greatly appreciated that he got her tickets to the concert, it being her first show and all. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She kept declaring as she continued to sprinkle small kisses across his lovely face.

“For what?” Nick asked, trying to keep a straight face as Adrienne attacked him.

“Thank you for letting me go to this concert. This was my first one.” She stopped kissing him and instead opted to run her fingers through his moderately overgrown hair.

He seemed to take pleasure from that, he actually giggled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Nick let her continue to pet him like a cuddly animal, not minding the fact that people were beginning to stare. Adrienne also noticed that, so she stopped fondling him altogether. _Behave yourself, Adrienne!_ They looked at each other, both slightly embarrassed.

Out of nowhere, Simon swooped in and pulled Nick over to the side. They started talking… and then arguing. Adrienne didn’t know what they were discussing, but she could tell they were quarreling based on their rapid arm movements and rude pointing. They were pointing at her.

Once Simon and Nick finished talking and bickering, Nick walked over to her looking rather annoyed.

“There are a couple of people that I’d like you to meet,” he announced with a lackluster tone. Nick pointed to Simon, who was now standing next to Warren. The two other band members were grinning “innocently” and waving at them from afar. Adrienne felt her heart rate increase. She was about to meet two people who were an important part of Nick’s life. She was terrified, but had nowhere to run.

Adrienne turned to Nick and nodded slowly. She was going to talk to Simon and Warren whether she wanted to or not.

 


	9. Come As You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More important decisions are made as Nick and Adrienne's marriage progresses.

 

They deliberately took her away from him and sat by the other end of the bar, as far away from Nick as they could go. Nick wondered what they were all taking about, but then Simon must have made a joke because Adrienne and Warren started laughing. Nick decided to give Adrienne her space. He didn’t want to leave her alone with the jackals he liked to call friends, but Simon insisted. All he could do was sit around and wait for their conversation to be over. Adrienne was obviously nervous when he suggested she meet the other guys, but she agreed anyway. It was like she couldn’t say no to him. Nick introduced her to Simon and Warren as a “friend” and after casual pleasantries; they decided to talk to her more privately.

So there Nick was, patiently waiting for his bandmates to finish their interrogation on his accidental wife. To pass the time, he ordered a glass of wine. He hadn’t had a good drink since that fateful night, but he wasn’t going to let one monumental mistake scare him away from alcohol forever. He looked over and noticed how relaxed Adrienne seemed to be around Simon and Warren. It was remarkable to him that she could be so petrified one moment, but then so comfortable the next. A true enigma.

It felt like an eternity before the guys finally let Adrienne go free. She ran over to Nick with a delightful smile etched on her face.

“I’m surprised to see you back with your clothes still fully intact.” He quipped and then studied her carefully. “I’m glad to see you aren’t covered in blood and still have all your organs. Well done!”

Adrienne smirked. “What a nice thing to imply about your dearest friends.”

“That they’re wild animals bent on destruction?”

“Precisely!”

“If you knew them like I did, you would come to the same conclusion.”

“They’re really not that bad.”

“By now, I thought they’d have you seeking shelter somewhere else. You know, somewhere safer, like a prison or the inside of a tiger cage at the zoo. ”

She laughed at his sarcasm. “Not at all! Warren was very nice and intelligent, while Simon was a perfect gentleman.”

“Simon, as in the lead singer of Duran Duran? That Simon?” He asked with a look of surprise.

“Indeed.” Adrienne raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.

“You mean Simon _Le Bon_ , right?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Simon _John Charles_ Le Bon?”

She started to laugh again and tapped him softly on the arm. “Hard to believe, but ‘tis true!” She had her fun but then got serious for a moment and stared lovingly at Nick. “You have really good friends, Nick. They really care about you.”

Nick smiled at her, and then glanced over at Simon and Warren, who were both socializing elsewhere. He had to agree with her. They were a total pain sometimes… most of the time, but they were always there for him, to comfort him and make him laugh when times got bad. He couldn’t ask for more when it came to friends. It was times like these where he really missed John. He hadn’t talked to John in months, not because he was angry at him for leaving the band, but because they just lost touch for a while. They used to be inseparable; John was like a brother to him. They were so much more than best friends, kindred spirits more like it.

He sighed as he recalled his cheerful friendship. “I guess I’m just lucky. What did they talk about with you?”

“Stuff.”

“Like…?”

Instead of responding, Adrienne just stood silent, looking around the lounge as if it was _so_ interesting.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” He pouted softly, something he always did when he was irritated, deep in thought, bored, or… doing anything. He couldn’t help it if he tried.

“They told me not to mention anything.” She griped.

“And you would listen to them over your own husband?” He was still pouting.

Adrienne put a hand over her mouth to keep from snickering in his face. She agreed to level with him. “Okay, fine. They told me to be nice to you and if not, they’d seek horrible revenge on me.”

“Well that sounds about right,” Nick joked with a smile. He decided to go over to the other side of the bar where Simon was ordering a drink. He turned to Adrienne and announced, “Excuse me for a moment.” Nick walked over and took a seat next to Simon.

“Well?” Nick asked, assuming Simon knew what he was referring to.

“Well what?”

“What do you think of Adrienne?”

Nick didn’t get an answer from him straight away. Simon’s drink arrived and he took a long sip from it. Just then, Warren appeared next to them, looking rather inebriated. Instead of waiting for Simon’s response, Nick turned to Warren and asked him the same question even though he was dubious about the kind of response he would get from a drunk man.

“She’s fucking hot, man!” Warren replied back.

Nick couldn’t help but roll his eyes. His doubts were confirmed! _Should’ve asked when you were sober_. “Eloquently put as always. Just how drunk are you, Warren?”

“Not very.”

That was all Nick needed to hear. He slowly turned his back to Warren and returned his attention to Simon. Without even needing to be asked again, Simon finally answered, “She’s a very lovely girl, Nick.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely, mate.” Simon turned to his good friend and gave him a look of sincerity that he rarely gave anyone. “Just remember what we talked about. There’s no need to rush into anything serious right away.”

_Too late!_ Nick responded by slowly nodding.

“So how old is she?” Simon asked out of curiosity.

“Twenty-one.”

Nick saw a wry smirk appear at the corner of Simon’s mouth. “Blimey! You’re worse than John.”

“At least I didn’t impregnate her!” Nick scoffed.

“Not yet anyway,” Simon muttered under his breath, playfully punching Nick on the shoulder. They both chuckled quietly as the night began to wane slowly.  

\---------

Several days and two more concerts later, it was finally time to relax. The week had been incredibly stressful and hectic, but the long cross- country tour was finally over. The endless days would have been even worse without Adrienne’s presence. She came to every concert and just knowing she was there made Nick all the more happy. He’d grown quite fond of her over the past week. Seeing Adrienne everyday made everything worthwhile. To think, she was a complete stranger not so long ago. But all good things had to come to an end at some point. He knew Adrienne had to leave in two days, back to her home in Colorado. Nick had to go back to England for his daughter’s birthday, but that wasn’t for another week. He was stuck in Nevada until then. Despite all the chaos of the current week, he and Adrienne managed to go sightseeing together, spending countless hours talking and laughing. Their conversations were always effortless and completely unforced.

Nick had Adrienne meet him at his hotel room. She hadn’t been there since their shocking introduction. He was going to try to convince her to stay for a while or at least find some sort of compromise. He had only been married to Adrienne for one short week. At the moment, he really liked her, but he didn’t love her… yet. Now that would take time. How much time, he didn’t know. Fifteen years ago, Nick could have fallen in love with a girl in just thirty seconds, but he was now a worldly, more mature gentleman. He was thirty-five for God’s sake! He had been through so much in such a short amount of his life: love, marriage, fatherhood, divorce, heartache, court battles, tabloid scrutiny, more love, more heartache, drunken nights out on the town, and an accidental second marriage. Needless to say, he’s lived a lot for thirty-five.

Nick and Adrienne were standing on his balcony, silently staring at the boundless view of the Las Vegas Strip. It was now or never, he had to say something about her leaving. But she beat him to the punch.

“Nick I’ve been thinking… I have to go back home soon, but I really don’t want to leave without you.”

He listened to her and tried to look her in the eyes, but she was staring down at her feet. From what Nick could tell, she was nervous. No surprise there since she was always nervous. But something was on her mind; it was quite evident in her tone of voice. Adrienne continued speaking, “I have to ask you something.” This time she turned to him and looked him straight in the eye.

“What is it?”

She hesitated, as if she was dreading to ask her question. Finally, she summoned up the courage to ask, “Will you come home with me?”

He was slightly taken aback by this question. He wasn’t expecting it. Nick thought about what such a request would entail. He would probably have to meet her family and most definitely experience her way of life. Nick could only imagine the kind of life a 21-year-old woman would live during the late 1990s. Much different from the kind of life he lived when he was her age fourteen years prior.  

But if he was going to make this marriage work somehow, he’d have to go along with it. It was his turn to be afraid now. Nick realized he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts; he hadn’t given Adrienne an answer yet.

She looked absolutely panic-stricken, probably thinking she shouldn’t have asked for such a demand.

To calm her nerves, Nick decided to blurt out whatever he could think of to say at the moment. “What a brilliant idea! I’d be delighted to join you!” He didn’t mean to sound so peppy, especially because when he did, his voice would raise involuntarily, at least one octave. Truthfully, he was more apprehensive than excited.

After giving her the answer she clearly wanted, Adrienne looked very relieved and a little giddy at that. Nick continued to silently worry in his head, but then came to an important realization. “I’ll go with you, but you have to do me a favor.” He stated abruptly.

“Anything!” She exclaimed with a wide grin.

“You have to come with me to England afterwards. My daughter’s birthday is less than ten days away and I won’t miss it for anything.” Those were his terms and he was sticking to them. That was his child after all.

Without hesitating…. or even thinking for that matter, she took his hand and shook it, to signify that a “deal” had been made. “I’d be delighted to join you!” Adrienne imitated him with a phony British accent.

Nick gave her a playful scowl. “Oh, that was dreadful! I sound nothing like that.”

She just shrugged him off and winked sprightly. Nick smiled at her and looked at the endless view in front of them again. He heard Adrienne sigh and enjoy the view as well.

So he was actually going through with this once again. Another relationship and another marriage. Maybe this one would work out. He took a deep breath and started to relax. The reality of it all should’ve had him cowering in the nearest closet. But for some unknown reason, even he couldn’t explain, Nick was completely at ease… for now.

 

 


	10. What's Up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the family!

Chapter 10

The apartment was actually clean! Adrienne’s apartment was _never_ clean. She mentally thanked her normally flaky roommate for leaving the place spotless for once. Nick and Adrienne arrived in Colorado a short time ago from the airport. They lugged their baggage inside and left it there in the living room, both were exhausted from having to carry their bags up six flights of stairs. The elevator was out of service. Adrienne’s apartment was very quaint; it was obvious that two former college students lived there. It was sparsely decorated with the main feature of the room being the television. Her roommate, Lark, was still out of town and wouldn’t be back for another week. She and Nick had the house to themselves for the time being.

They collapsed on the couch, trying to catch their breath. Carrying heavy luggage up an obscene amount of stairs can take a lot out of a person. Adrienne was happy to be home, she missed her small apartment. She missed her normal life. The time she spent with Nick was like a dream… but better. Adrienne knew she had to enjoy her regular life while she had the chance because in five days she would have to board another plane and go overseas to her husband’s native land. After getting situated, Adrienne decided to bring her suitcase into her room. She didn’t bother to unpack since she had to leave for another country in less than a week anyway. Adrienne walked back into the living room and sat beside Nick. She had never entertained anyone before and was starting to worry if she was boring him to death. That’s when she remembered a very important conversation she had with her mother shortly before leaving Nevada. Adrienne called her mother to let her know she would be coming back home. Being the loving and sometimes overbearing mother that she was, Dana invited her daughter home for dinner. Without giving it much thought, Adrienne accepted the invitation, omitting the fact that she would bring her husband along.

Her mother would be in for the surprise of her life. Adrienne had never brought home a boyfriend for Dana to meet, not even in high school. For the longest time, Dana thought her daughter wasn’t even interested in the opposite sex, no matter how many times Adrienne argued otherwise. Until now, Adrienne had never found someone worth showcasing as a boyfriend or admirer. Most of the time, she was embarrassed by the kind of men she used to date. They either treated her like furniture or took her for granted. She had horrible luck with men, no matter how hard she tried. But that wasn’t the case anymore. The day had finally come where Adrienne was actually happy and willing to introduce everyone to the man she adored.

She had no idea how Nick would react to meeting her mother. They hadn’t known each other very long and having him meet Dana seemed like a huge step… but so did marriage, and that didn’t seem to stop anyone, did it?

On the plane ride over, Adrienne told Nick about the dinner plans. He gave her the impression that he was expecting something like that to happen, so he wasn’t surprised at all. He accepted the news without complaint. They had to progress somehow.

 

\---------

They comfortably settled into the apartment for a while, wasting time by playing board games and watching movies. The time passed and it was evening by then. Dinner time! Adrienne was on edge, it wasn’t like she was dreading the situation. She actually wanted her mother to meet Nick. It’s always difficult to introduce family members to significant others. This was no exception. Adrienne just hoped her mother would accept him and appreciate him as much as she did. They left the apartment, rushed down six flights of stairs, and got into Adrienne’s car. She drove twenty minutes out of the city. She always liked living close to home. They made it to Adrienne’s childhood home, where she parked in the driveway. It was a beautiful two-story brick house built in the early twentieth-century.

They made their way to the front door, where Adrienne anxiously rang the bell several times. Nick was by her side, possibly sensing her stress. Either Nick wasn’t nervous or he was really good at hiding it. Definitely the latter. After a rather long period of waiting for someone to answer the door, Adrienne grew impatient. She remembered there was always a spare key next to the door, underneath a fake rock. She found the key and opened the door. Nick followed her inside tentatively.

“Mom, I’m here!” She yelled out, thinking her mother was upstairs. A minute later, Adrienne heard the door to the kitchen burst open and saw her mother come out with a large painting canvas obstructing her face. Dana was a misfit abstract artist, who proudly displayed her artwork around the house.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was busy painting in the kitchen.” Dana said, putting her canvas on the floor. She paused to face Adrienne and was obviously taken aback by the man next to her. Dana’s eyes widened with bewilderment.” Adrienne, you didn’t tell me you were bringing company,” she said with a smile.

“Well, I knew you’d make a big deal out of it. Mom, this is Nick. He’s my…” Adrienne quickly glanced over at Nick, not knowing what to introduce him as. She certainly couldn’t announce him as her husband. Her mind suddenly went blank.

“I’m her boyfriend,” Nick chimed in and finished her sentence.  He took Dana’s hand and shook it gently. She stood there gaping at Nick while Adrienne stood by their side, looking equally shocked. It was the first time that Nick acknowledged her as someone other than a friend in public.

“Boyfriend?” Adrienne’s mother squeaked. She was grinning ear to ear now. “Adrienne didn’t mention anything about having a boyfriend,” she paused and gave Adrienne a nasty scowl. “I’m Dana, Adrienne’s mother. Her very confused mother,” she laughed softly. Dana was petite compared to her daughter, but the resemblance was uncanny. It was evident that Adrienne came from a good-looking family.

“It really is a pleasure to meet you,” Nick replied with an unbeatable charm and that gorgeous, toothy smile of his.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Dana said, blushing furiously. It took all of Adrienne’s strength to keep from rolling her eyes at her mother’s shameless fawning. Suddenly, Adrienne felt Dana grab her by the arm. “Meet me in the kitchen, please,” Dana whispered.

Adrienne turned to Nick. “I’ll be right back. Just make yourself comfortable.” She offered him a seat on the sofa before Dana dragged her into the kitchen. What she thought would be the tongue-lashing of her life turned out not to be the case at all. Her mother turned and gave Adrienne a big hug. “Oh, Adrienne, you brought a boy home!” Dana was clearly excited that such a rarity had occurred. “I can’t believe it. It’s a miracle!”

“He’s hardly a boy, Mom. He’s a 35-year-old man.” Adrienne wished she hadn’t mentioned that last part, but it slipped out. She expected Dana to have a fit over the age difference, but when she looked at her mother’s face, Adrienne saw nothing but understanding and non-judgment.

“Oh well, excuse me! You finally brought a _man_ home. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were bringing him over?”

Adrienne vacantly looked at the ceiling and twirled her hair around her finger. “It was a spur of the moment thing. You don’t care that he’s so much older than me?”

“Now why should that matter? He’s pretty damn special if you were willing to let him come over here.”

Adrienne smiled at Dana. “You’re the greatest, Mom.”

Dana gave her a sly smile back. “Yeah, I really am.”

They sat at the kitchen table, Dana eagerly awaiting further information about Adrienne and Nick’s relationship. “So how’d you meet him?”

Adrienne stopped breathing for a moment. She didn’t want to lie to her own mother. But then again, she didn’t actually know how she met Nick or why their paths even crossed. Adrienne wished she knew everything that happened, it would put things slightly more into perspective. How they met was purely coincidental. There was no reason why they should’ve met. There was no reason why they got married. There was no reason for anything. The universe just wanted them to be together… at least, Adrienne hoped so.

Dana was waiting for a response and Adrienne couldn’t come up with a firm answer. “He lost a gambling debt in Vegas, so now he’s my slave,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

Her mother wasn’t very amused. She kept pressing the issue on and on. “Oh come on, Adrienne! Just tell me how you met the guy!”

Adrienne put her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. She just wanted to bang her head on the table and hopefully lose consciousness, just to get out of this forlorn conversation. She didn’t know what to say to Dana. Just when she felt like jumping out of the nearest window, Adrienne heard footsteps coming down the stairs that lead straight into the kitchen. It was her teenage sister, Quinn. She had never been more relieved to see Quinn then at that very moment. Adrienne rushed over to her and embraced Quinn as if she hadn’t seen her in years.

“Oh, Quinn. I’m so happy to see you!” Adrienne said, holding Quinn tightly enough so she couldn’t escape. Adrienne’s poor sister probably didn’t know what to think. Her head must’ve been swimming with confusion.

“Uh, Adrienne… are you okay? You’re not dying are you?” Quinn asked, mystified by what was going on. Adrienne wasn’t the affectionate type… accept with Nick.

“Don’t be silly! I just missed you!” Quinn was the only thing coming between Adrienne and Dana’s barrage of questioning. Adrienne was truly grateful for that.

“Hey guess what, Quinn,” Dana remarked from the kitchen table.

“What?”

“Your sister has a boyfriend!”

Quinn had a questioning look on her face as she turned to glance at Adrienne. “No way! I thought you said she was trapped in the closet.” Adrienne turned to scowl at Dana, but she paid her no attention.

“I guess I was wrong. He’s in the living room right now.”

Quinn rushed over to the door and slowly poked her head out to take a look. The next thing Adrienne heard was her sister wolf-whistling outside the door. Out of frustration, Adrienne pulled Quinn back into the kitchen by the headphones around her neck. She glared severely at her younger sister. “Do you mind?! He might hear you!”

Quinn just brushed her off and acknowledged her mother. “ _That’s_ her boyfriend?”

“Apparently so. Isn’t he pretty?”

“Oh, Definitely.” Quinn smiled at Adrienne suggestively and gave her a pat on the back. “So how’d you score a major hot babe like that?”

Adrienne sighed softly, “I have absolutely no idea.” She changed the subject again. “You know, Nick’s been alone in the living room for a while now. Maybe we should go talk to him,” she suggested to her mother.

“I guess. We’re really terrible hosts,” Dana commented.

All three women exited the kitchen to accompany Nick, who was sitting stoically on the sofa waiting for human contact once again. Adrienne’s sister was quick to dash over to him and introduce herself.

“Hi, I’m Quinn, Adrienne’s sister.” She offered her hand out.

“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Nick.”

Quinn gasped and faced Adrienne. “You didn’t tell me he had an accent!” She turned to Nick again. “So what part of Australia are you from?”

He chuckled lightly, but corrected the naïve 15-year-old. “Actually, I’m English. I’m from the West Midlands of Birmingham.”

Quinn just gaped at him as if he were the most interesting creature on the planet. While she was busy asking him a series of questions, like only nosy teenagers can, Adrienne pulled her mother off to the side.

“So what’s for dinner?” Adrienne asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t ordered it yet,” Dana laughed quietly. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Anything. As long as it’s vegetarian.”

“Why?”

“That picky man over there,” she pointed at Nick, “is a vegetarian.”

“Oh how lovely,” Dana remarked sarcastically. “How gracious of you to bring a vegetarian into my house. I’ll just go in the kitchen and shoot myself now.”

“Calm down, drama queen. He’s not one of those Morrissey ‘Meat is Murder’ vegetarians. If anything he’s like one of those Paul McCartney Please-Don’t-Eat-Meat-Animals-Have-Feelings-Too vegetarians.”

“Um… Okay?” Dana was confused but left it at that. She glanced over at her youngest daughter and Nick, both actively engaged in conversation. “Isn’t that sweet? I think you’re sister really likes him.”

“Yeah, well, I saw him first,” Adrienne joked. She loved Nick’s ability to converse with anyone, no matter how young and annoying.

Dinner finally came in the form of Indian takeout. Everyone went into the kitchen to sit by the table. The night consisted of casual conversation between adults… and one teenager. Dana and Quinn were very interested in learning about Nick. They asked him a variety of questions, including what his career was. He simply stated that he was a musician and that was that. Quinn was too young to remember the phenomenon that Duran Duran was during earlier years and Dana never paid any attention to music fads. To them, Adrienne’s “boyfriend” was just an ordinary young gentleman, not the pop star she knew he was. Adrienne wanted to keep it that way, her family being completely oblivious of whom her husband actually was.  It was far less complicated that way.

By the time dinner was over, it was late evening. Adrienne couldn’t wait to get out of there. She loved being at home, but there was only so much she could take. Nick and Adrienne were about to leave when Dana stopped them and asked to speak with her daughter. Adrienne let out a disgruntled groan and asked Nick to wait in the car.

Dana had Adrienne sit in the formal living room. Somehow Adrienne knew what her mother wanted to say. She wanted a heart-to-heart conversation.

“He’s a really great guy, Adrienne. I mean, he has to be, if you like him so much.”

“I know he is. He’s perfect to me in every single way.”

“Do you love him?”

Adrienne paused for only the briefest of moments. The answer was clear and simple. “Yeah,” she whispered softly, but just loud enough for Dana to hear.  She laid her head on Dana’s shoulder.

Dana reached over and began stroking her daughter’s hair. “Do you think he loves you back?”

“No,” she sighed, but then said with a smile, “but he will.”

 


	11. Your Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started with some tea and ended with a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than the others but it contains some pretty major breaking points for the story. Also, it's been "sexed up" for audience pleasure... so hopefully people enjoy this one.

 

The drive home was a rather quiet one. The minute Adrienne got back into the car; Nick noticed a change in mood. She was thinking too hard about something, keeping her eyes on the road and making no effort to start a conversation. Nick was concerned about her and really wanted to know what was affecting her so much. The evening went by smoothly from what he could understand. He met her small family unit, had dinner with them and had an excellent experience. Everything went as it should have. Did he do something wrong? Did he  _say_ something wrong? Nick had this irrational tendency to blame himself for a lot of things.

He just sat in the car in silence, thinking of the numerous ways that he could’ve ruined the evening when he heard Adrienne’s voice.

“I hope they didn’t scare you,” she said with a charming laugh.

So the girl speaks! She was just nervous… like that’s a big surprise. Nick let out a small sigh of relief. “Nonsense. They’re lovely people. I had a marvelous time.” He was being sincere.

That seemed to calm her down. She smiled at him, finally taking her eyes off the road for a second.  “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

The rest of the ride was smooth sailing from there. They made it back to her apartment, with Adrienne yawning all the way inside. She marched into her room to get dressed for bed. Watching her leave, it dawned on Nick to think about sleeping arrangements. His luggage was still in the living room. He thought about sleeping on the sofa, but it wasn’t the most comfortable option. The apartment itself was small and there were only two bedrooms, one of which belonged to Adrienne’s roommate. As he was thinking of a way to make the couch less painful to sleep on, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. Adrienne came out of her room wearing a blue and white striped night shirt that barely covered her thighs.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?” She covered her mouth to yawn.

“With you?” He asked as his eyes attached themselves to the sight of her bare legs.

“I should hope so, unless my neighbor already propositioned you first,” she teased.

Nick ignored her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“We slept together once before. At least this time, we’ll know who we’re waking up next to.”

He was speechless. They were married. They were completely sober this time. There was no reason why they shouldn’t sleep in the same bed. Adrienne was leaning against her doorway, looking like she was about to pass out on the floor from exhaustion. Nick could have argued the case further, but he felt bad for keeping her up, so he relented.

“I’ll just be a minute,” he stated. Adrienne nodded and went back into her room. Nick quietly gathered his things and went to join her. The room wasn’t too small, just large enough for substantial furniture and a bed with a window above it overlooking a park. He looked over and Adrienne was already sound asleep. He went through his suitcase to get his sleepwear and quickly changed into them. Careful not to disturb her, Nick slipped into the opposite end of the bed. Several moments passed for him as he stared at the ceiling. What had he gotten himself into?

Adrienne liked to move in her sleep and Nick felt her leg brush against his. That contact made his body stiffen entirely.  It had been weeks since he’d really slept with someone. He missed holding a woman in his arms and the tender security he used to feel. And now there was this beautiful woman that craved his touch, but he wasn’t able to give her that… until now. He shifted closer to her and once he did, Adrienne’s leg draped over him like a blanket and her arm rested against his chest. She was still fast asleep. Her body felt so wonderful against him, he hugged her tightly, remembering what it was like to caress another person in bed. Soon, he fell asleep as well.

The next morning, Nick woke up in an empty bed, much to his dismay. There was a note on the pillow next to him, letting him know that Adrienne was out grocery shopping.  He exhaled sharply and pulled back the drapes of the window, wincing at the severe light of the cruel sun. He went into the bathroom and took a long, stimulating shower. Once he finished, he brushed his teeth, got dressed and walked into the kitchen in search of tea. Nick checked all the cabinets but there was no tea to be found. _Where in the bloody hell is the fucking tea?!... Oh right. She’s a yank._

He mumbled to himself in irritation and took a seat on the sofa. There was literally nothing to do around the house except read or watch television. If there was one thing Nick Rhodes couldn’t stand, beside most things, was boredom. But he had no choice, he found an old poetry book and read it while watching the news and reruns of _Dynasty._ His version of multitasking. A couple of hours passed before Adrienne made it back from the store with several grocery bags.

“Nick, I’ve got a surprise for you,” she sang.

“What is it?” He inquired with a hint of reluctance.

She emptied out a bag filled with various kinds of tea out on the coffee table. “I got you some tea!”

Nick bit back an amused smile. “So it seems.”

“I didn’t know which kind you preferred, so I got you all of them.”

Now this time he broke out into a full smile. “Oh, you are so thoughtful. Thank you, I really appreciate it,” he said, going through the assortment of teas. She even got him oolong tea! No wonder it took her so long to get home. “How’d you know I wanted tea?”

“British stereotypes,” she answered with a straight face. Nick gave her a wry facial expression then stared at the television. Adrienne curiously glanced over at what he was watching. “Why are you watching _Dynasty_?”

“Boredom mainly,” he scoffed, only to see Adrienne stride over and turn the television off.  She appeared upset for some reason.

“I’m sorry, Nick. I haven’t been very accommodating. Do you want to go for a walk or something?”

He practically leaped off the couch when he heard that suggestion. “I’ll get my jacket.”

\-----------

Nick was more than happy to escape the confines of Adrienne’s apartment. He felt like a caged animal about to go crazy in that place. It was a particularly windy day in the middle of summer. Not the most ideal weather for a relaxing walk, but any outside contact with the world was better than nothing.  At least Nick had Adrienne by his side, looking beautifully striking. The windy breeze was flowing through her silky hair and made her look like a music video vixen. His mind kept going through images of her lovely legs exposed by that short dress shirt she wore to bed the night before. He also remembered the way her body hugged his own as they slept together. That was something Nick never wanted to forget, two warm bodies embracing each other in the dead of night. Would it always feel good in that loving, affectionate way or was it just a passing fancy?

He wasn’t the cynical type by any stretch, but recently Nick had been acting rather gloomy and dark. Not that he was very sensitive, but he was really disheartened by past relationships and how badly they ended. Nick wanted this one to be the acceptation. He wanted to know what it felt like to love again. Truth be told, he was so vulnerable and too afraid to feel any level of emotion even resembling love. But that could definitely change. Nick wasn’t emotionally damaged in any way, just hurt. Not everyone could understand and that’s why he admired Adrienne so much. She was extremely patient with him and could sympathize. The least he could do was show her more affection.

As they strolled through the urban neighborhood, Nick wrapped his arm around Adrienne’s waist and brought her closer to him. She didn’t object to that at all as she grinned and put an arm over his shoulders. They finally looked like a real, loving couple.

They stopped by the park close to Adrienne’s apartment. It was small and peaceful, perfect for a tranquil day off. They sat on a bench by a small pond and did what they did best… talk. Nick realized that he could talk about almost anything with Adrienne. Music, literature, weather, the performing arts, Greek mythology, the Renaissance period… nothing was off limits. He wasn’t expecting to have such meaningful conversation with someone like her. She listened to him like no one else could. That made Nick feel like she actually cared. Adrienne was in fact a very intelligent, polite young woman.

Nick and Adrienne continued talking while feeding the neighboring ducks and staring at the sunset. Time always seemed to melt away quickly whenever they were together. Nick couldn’t help but stare at Adrienne in that particular lighting. She had to be the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her dark hair shimmered in the sunlight and her eyes were the brightest blue-grey color imaginable. She kept talking, but at this point, Nick stopped listening altogether. His wife was just too beautiful and hypnotizing to look at. He’d probably get yelled at for his lack of attention, but he didn’t care at the moment.

He moved closer and gently caressed her face, startling her somewhat, but not scaring her away. She stopped talking. Nick moved his thumb over her chin and bottom lip, which looked so kissable to him. Adrienne sat there motionless, letting him brush his fingers across her beautiful face. He looked at her expression, not knowing how to describe it. Somewhere between confusion and desire. Her lips parted softly as he continued to run his thumb delicately over her mouth. He could feel her shaking under his hand, she was breathing rapidly and Nick could hear it. Adrienne moved her face closer to his, waiting his next move. But it never came. He realized what he was doing to her, so he abruptly stopped and removed his hand off her face. Nick looked away, ashamed of himself for getting carried away like that… and in public no less! He glanced over at her for a moment. She looked stunned and dreamy at the same time. Nick figured she’d be upset for being led on, but that didn’t happen. Adrienne appeared to be cheerful to say the least.

“Perhaps we should leave,” he suggested breathlessly.

All Adrienne could do was nod her head with a blissful smile. Nick offered his hand to her and she held it the entire way back home.

\----------

When they made it back to the apartment, Adrienne went into the kitchen and grabbed a kettle full of water to heat on the stove. “Do you still want that tea?” She asked.

“Yes, thank you,” he whispered and handed her some black tea.

The couple stood silently, watching the stove until the kettle whistled. Adrienne retrieved the cups while he prepared the tea. They sat in the eating area looking out the window, enjoying their tea. Nick mentally observed how often he’s been looking out of windows lately, as if the clouds and the rest of the sky could distract him from the confusion in his life. He peered over to see Adrienne staring out the window as well. It was like they were thinking the same thing.

When the two finished their tea, they headed into the bedroom, where Adrienne turned on her television and Nick started to read an art book on the bed. He occasionally glimpsed at the T.V. to see what she was watching. For some reason, he was transfixed by American television because it was so ridiculous and idiotic at times. It was nothing like British television. He loved it! No one would ever guess that this intelligent, urbane man liked tawdry, superfluous media. Nick forgot about his book completely in favor of watching a particularly outlandish dating show. He and Adrienne were both glued to the small screen until they fell asleep on her mattress.

In his sleep, Nick had the most vivid dream…

He was back home in his bedroom in England, lying on his bed wearing a tuxedo.  Of course, even in his dream, Nick had to dress well. The window was open with the air blowing right through, knocking over candlesticks and books. His door flew open and Adrienne sauntered inside wearing nothing but a short satin robe. She walked towards him, smiling deviously and twirling the belt around her waist. The open air was flowing through her beautiful chestnut hair. Her face was stunningly made up with full lips painted a soft red and grey eyes highlighted in dramatic purple. Nick was staring at a goddess in front of him. He stared at her in awe, his jaw practically hitting the floor. His eyes journeyed from her gorgeous face all the way down her torso, then finally halting at her endlessly long legs. He just gaped at the exquisite woman he was lucky enough to call his wife.

Adrienne beckoned him with her index finger and Nick quickly obliged her wish. He eagerly sat on the edge of his bed, awaiting her next move. She moved right in front of him and Nick found himself staring at Adrienne’s stomach for the time being. She lifted his head up with one finger under his chin and ran her fingers through his hair, then pressed his head into her breasts. The sultry vamp kept him there as she stroked his mane. Nick reveled in the feeling of satin across his face and the caring hand through his scalp. But then it stopped.

Nick motioned to touch her, but received a sharp slap to the hand. Adrienne giggled at him and grabbed his face again. She had the most seductive look in her eyes as he gazed at her. Suddenly, she straddled him on the bed and he felt her lips claim his own in a slow, passionate kiss. It was nothing but electrifying. He clutched her by the waist and pulled her harder against him. Nick wanted to be in charge of this kiss, yearning to devour her completely. Catching her by surprise, he slid his tongue into her mouth and heard a soft moan. He felt her own tongue battle it out with his, but he stunned Adrienne when he started sucking gently on her tongue. She gasped into his mouth and Nick released his grasp on her tongue, opting to nibble on her full bottom lip. It just looked so tempting. Then he showered her chin and jawline with feathery kisses. She let him do all of this, lost in a sea of arousal… but then she gathered her senses and pushed herself off him. He almost whimpered in frustration, making Adrienne smile wickedly again.

She stood and stepped back a bit, removing her satin belt, taunting him by sliding it back and forth across his neck. Nick all but lost his mind when he saw Adrienne remove her robe slowly. The satin fell to the floor and Nick was face-to-face with Adrienne in all her naked glory. Remembering how to breathe again, Nick exhaled and licked his lips at the dazzling sight of her. He didn’t know what to gaze upon first. His eyes traveled once again along her perfect body. She looked like a work of art with her full breasts and mildly sinewy, flat stomach. The touring of his eyes went further down her body until they rested between her legs. He knew it was very impolite to stare at her intimate area like that, but he really didn’t give a damn. Nick kept his eyes there for the longest time; his mouth was slightly ajar and drooling. No woman has ever made him drool before.

Now that was the last straw. He couldn’t take it anymore. Nick grasped her roughly by the hips and brought her back to him. She didn’t protest. Then he spun her around, taking a minute to admire her glorious backside and sat her firmly on his lap with her back pressed against his chest. He brought her head to the side and attacked Adrienne’s neck with his mouth, while his hands roamed across her body. Nick licked, nibbled, and sucked on the tender flesh of her neck as he fondled her breasts. He squeezed them softly, causing the helpless woman to tremble. His fingers pinched her nipples and he listened to Adrienne’s cries of pleasure. He released one of her breasts from his hand and slid it down her stomach, feeling the smoothness of her skin and tracing lazy circles around her navel with his finger. Adrienne twitched suddenly and arched her back against Nick, throwing her head over his shoulder. Her continuous moaning was urging him to move that hand lower and lower until he reached the wetness between her thighs. He rubbed her deftly with his middle finger and felt the aroused woman thrust her hips to the rhythm of that finger.

By this time, Adrienne’s mouth was wide open, but no sound was coming out. Nick wanted to kiss her lips again so badly, but her face was out of reach. He removed his now sticky hand from her sex, grabbed her by the waist, and threw her on the bed. He took a minute to behold the gorgeousness sprawled out before him. The expression on Adrienne’s face was noteworthy. She looked at him with sparkling, lustful eyes that told him she was ready for the taking. Nick lied next to her and raked his fingers through her silky hair, leaning over to kiss her with a hunger he’s never felt before. It was a deep, wanton kiss that he never wanted to end… but Nick had other priorities and more sweet flesh to taste. His lips moved across her neck, and then he began to lick the entire length of it while skilled hands found her breasts once again. He went lower and placed aggressive kisses on the tops of both her breasts before taking a light pink nipple into his mouth.

Nick sucked on it hard as he pinched the other one. He traced his tongue around her areola, and then slid that magical tongue underneath her breast to lick the hypersensitive skin. Adrienne gasped loudly and kept her eyes tightly shut. The man was doing wonders to her body.  He kissed all around her bosom before claiming her nipple again, this time with his teeth. She nearly bounced off the bed when he did so. Nick gently bit her flesh before sucking her breast against his lips once more, taking as much of it into his mouth as he could. He could feel her hands on his head encouraging him. After several seconds of strong sucking, he released her delicious breast from his eager mouth and gave it one last kiss before moving on to the other one. He awarded it with the exact same attention he gave to the other; licking, suckling and anything else he could do with his wet mouth to bring her delight. 

And he didn’t disappoint. If Adrienne’s moaning, gasping and groaning were any indication, Nick was doing excellent in that department. After giving her breasts the lavish treatment they rightfully deserved, he reluctantly shifted away from them, continuing the blissful descent down her body. His luscious kissing advanced along her beautifully sculpted abdomen. It was remarkably smooth and feminine, with the most delicate hint of muscle. He pressed his cheek against it to feel the lissome firmness on his skin. Nick could feel her stomach clench as her breathing became harder. He ran a fingertip along the delectable curve of her side and glanced upwards to see a euphoric smile on her face. She was staring at the ceiling, in some erotic trance that couldn’t be broken.

He stuck out his tongue again and began to paint her torso with it, stopping at her navel to lap at it playfully. Nick dipped his tongue inside and quickly jabbed at it with the wet tip. That action caused the young woman to giggle. Apparently her highly sensitive skin was ticklish as well. He kept playing with her navel until loud giggling filled the room entirely. As much as he loved to hear Adrienne’s enchanting laughter, he would much rather hear her scream with pleasure. Nick left her belly button alone and moved downward to kiss her hipbones, dropping to his knees in the process. He kneeled in between her widespread legs and felt her shiver violently as he stroked the inside of her thighs.

Then he kissed one of them and brushed his tongue across it. He did the same thing to the neglected thigh, but this time gave it a sharp bite, making Adrienne yelp. Nick smiled up at her, but her mind was completely elsewhere. His face was merely inches away from her drenched, swollen sex, which he gawked at in adoration. The sight made his mouth water. He ran his index and middle finger through her glistening slit. Adrienne could do nothing but throw her head back onto the mattress and let out a short scream. Nick grazed the top of her mound with his lips and then nuzzled the soft brown hair on it with his nose. She shook beneath him and tried to maneuver away, but he grasped her hips tightly so she couldn’t go anywhere.  He considered the things he would do to her, how loudly she would scream for him, how good she would taste… but…

Just when he was about to bury his face into her… he woke up…

\-----------

The television was still on and the sun was out. It was officially morning again. Nick somehow found himself snuggled up with Adrienne on the bed. She was still asleep even with her alarm clock going off like a siren. He leaned over and turned it off, glaring spitefully at it for waking him up. But even with that rude awakening, he awoke so refreshed, not remembering a better night’s sleep. Nick could, however, remember that fantasy of a dream. He thought back to it and immediately started to blush. He hasn’t dreamt like that since his adolescence. It was a damn good dream… he just wished he could have finished it. Adrienne was sleeping with her head on Nick’s shoulder and the rest of her body draped over him, looking so beautiful and innocent. She was absolutely stunning in his fantasy, but that version of her didn’t compare to the sleeping beauty beside him.

Nick couldn’t help himself at that moment. He tilted her chin up slightly and kissed her for the first time. The kiss was incredibly gentle, not at all like the kissing in that dream. This was actually real and Nick could feel the intensity. Her lips were just as soft as he imagined. He kissed her until she finally woke up. Adrienne opened her eyes and realized what was going on. Instead of resisting or reprimanding him, she sweetly caressed the sides of his face and kissed him right back.

 

 


	12. Everlong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrienne's roommate comes back home to stir trouble.

 

Their kissing continued and there was no way to stop them. Adrienne woke up in the most pleasant way she could think of. Her husband finally kissed her. Finally! This evidently took her by surprised and she wondered what had gotten into him. One moment Nick’s pushing her away, and the next moment he’s all over her. Not that she was going to complain or anything. He was such an outstanding kisser, so sweet and loving, Adrienne felt herself melt into him as they lay in bed. His gorgeous lips were made for the sole purpose of kissing. She held his face gingerly as she reciprocated his tender affection. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for. No one had ever kissed her with such passionate care. This went on for an eternity, them just rolling around together, embracing each other like depraved lovers. Nick held on to her tightly, as if to think she was going to leave him.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” He moaned into her mouth, and then kissed the curve of her lip.

“Do you always wake women up by kissing them in their sleep?” She countered with pleasant humor.

Nick laughed against the side of Adrienne’s mouth. “Should I stop now?”

“Don’t you dare!” She pulled him towards her again and kissed him roughly. And again the kissing fest carried on.

They could’ve spent the entire day making out, but an unexpected event happened out of the blue. Adrienne heard the front door open and a loud voice coming from the living room.

“Adrienne, I’m home!” The voice belonged to her best friend and roommate, Lark Ludo.

The minute she heard Lark’s voice, Adrienne thought she was going to have a full blown panic attack. She shot off the bed quicker than she could breath, leaving Nick in a state of confusion. For the instant, she didn’t have time to explain anything to him. She was trying to comprehend what was happening herself. Lark wasn’t supposed to come back for at least another five days. But it wasn’t like Adrienne’s roommate was always true to her word. After all, Lark was the reason why Adrienne drank herself silly in Las Vegas and ended up married. She didn’t know whether to thank Lark or strangle her to death.

 But all anger and disorientation aside, Lark was a terrific, if not slightly demented friend. She always consoled Adrienne whenever one of her relationships ended poorly. The problem was that Lark was extremely protective of Adrienne because of that and didn’t trust a lot of men. She always threatened to run guys off if she ever met them in person. So Adrienne was more than a little nervous now that Nick was staying over. She didn’t know how her roommate would take the news.

She moved to leave the room, but Nick grabbed her hand to keep her there for a while longer. “Where are you going?” He asked with sad eyes and an expressive pout.

Adrienne retuned his pout and laughed, “I’ll be back in a minute. Just wait for me, daring.” She stated that last thing dramatically for effect. After prying Nick off her and leaving him sulking on the bed, she left for the living room and greeted her best friend.

“Lark, what the fuck are you doing here!” She exclaimed. Adrienne had an interesting way of greeting people.

“Um, I live here, Adrienne… unless I’m in the wrong apartment again,” Lark joked with a bemused expression.

“Don’t be a smart ass, Ludo! You weren’t supposed to be back until Sunday.” She whined and stomped on the floor.

“Well, things changed and I got here earlier than expected. Scream at me all you want later. I’m jetlagged and have a huge headache right now so get off my back!” Lark lied on the couch and rubbed her temples, obviously not in the mood for an argument.

Adrienne sat on the arm of the couch to contemplate the situation in a “logical” way. _If I kill her today, I’ll be out of jail by Friday… but then I’ll miss my flight to England._ She sighed to herself and became aware that she wasn’t paying attention. Adrienne quickly snapped out of her inappropriate thoughts when she heard Lark speak again.

“Earth to Adrienne! Are you still alive?” Lark giggled and waved her hand in front of Adrienne’s blank face.

She shook her head for clarity. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how I’d make your death look like an accident.” She smiled sheepishly at her roommate, only to hear her scoff.

“I should’ve left a message or something, but you know how flaky I can be and I apologize for that. Okay?” Lark waited for an answer.

Adrienne just rolled her eyes and grumbled softly. “Yeah, Sure. Whatever.”

“So, how was Vegas?” The roommate eyed her suggestively, changing the subject.

“Why does everyone have to ask that?” Adrienne complained and twisted her hair in a knot.

“Because it’s not every day that a girl like you decides to go to Las Vegas for no reason.”

“What do you mean by that?” She frowned.

“I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s just that you’re so quiet and shy all the time. I never would have thought that someone so reserved could be so reckless and go to Vegas all by themselves.”  

“I’m not reckless! And I wouldn’t have been alone if you didn’t bail on me.” Adrienne countered in defense, though she had to admit she wasn’t the most responsible person lately.

“You know I didn’t do that on purpose, Adrienne. I had no choice; my dad was in the hospital and had to go see him. But he’s fine now and I’m back again.”

Knowing that was as valid an excuse as she would get, Adrienne nodded her head in understanding. “To answer your question, Vegas was interesting to say the least.”

“How so?”

“Well… I met someone, Lark.” She announced uneasily, waiting for the inevitable overreaction of her friend.

“You don’t say,” Lark commented in a dry tone, but not with the distain Adrienne imagined.

“It’s true… and I really like him. He’s in my room right now.”

Her roommate’s face had inquiry written all over it; mainly for that fact that Adrienne was never comfortable enough to let a man she dated even know where she lived.

“Yeah, you heard me right.” Adrienne answered Lark’s nonexistent question.

Lark was still silent, probably trying to process what she was hearing. She opened her mouth, but words weren’t coming out.

Adrienne continued the one-sided conversation, knowing exactly what was on her friend’s mind. “He’s my one and only acceptation. There’s no one that I’ve ever liked as much as him.” She would have even announced she loved him, but Lark looked astounded enough as it was.

“Well obviously!” Lark finally blurted out. “I can’t believe what you’re saying.”

“Believe it, Lark. And if you think you’re going to run him off, you’ve been sadly mistaken.”

Lark tried to hide the smile on her face. “So I guess you told him about me.”

“He knows _of_ you. For his sake, I didn’t get into a lot of detail.”

“I guess I have to talk to him then.” She paused to see Adrienne’s reaction. It wasn’t a happy one.

“No, that’s okay! You don’t have to do that.” She stammered quickly and uptight.

“Relax, Adrienne. I’m not going to freak him out or anything. We’re just going to talk and get to know each other. You can’t have a boyfriend and not have me judge him. What kind of friend would I be?”

“A good friend! A friend that loves me and cares about what I have to say!”

Lark just stared at her with an amused smirk. “Just let me talk to him, human panic attack.”

Adrienne tugged on her own hair to signify disgruntlement… and overall defeat. “Fine, but if he mysteriously disappears from this living room, I’ll have you killed. And I’ll make sure that you die a horrible, twitching death. Are we clear on that?”

Lark shook her head with eager agreement while Adrienne went back to her room, mumbling angrily to herself. As soon as she opened the door, Nick appeared behind it. He grabbed her, pulled her inside and shut the door. Before she could say a word, his lips were against hers as he pushed her against the wall. She’d almost forgotten how good he felt around her. He kissed her more passionately than before and they were both lost in each other again. Adrienne gathered her senses enough to remember what she was there to do. She reluctantly broke their kiss. “Nick, I have to introduce you to someone,” she breathed heavily. “My roommate wants to meet you.”

“Alright then,” he agreed and straightened out his shirt collar, but she stopped him before he walked out the door.

“Just to let you know, she’s not the easiest person to talk to.”

“Say no more. I can handle it, Adrienne,” he said in a reassuring tone and left her in the empty room. She peered from the doorway, seeing Nick and Lark introduce themselves. Adrienne was afraid to be in the apartment all together and made an excuse to go outside. She left and decided to wait fifteen minutes before going back in.

Adrienne stood outside the front door, and then hesitantly entered the apartment to check on the possible blood bath that was ensuing. She was in for a huge surprise. Adrienne saw her roommate and unassuming husband laughing and enjoying each other’s company! She walked passed them and did a double take to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Nick and Lark were staring at her with the same amount of perplexity. She stopped by the kitchen and overheard some of their conversation. Overall, they seemed civil towards each other.

Lark left the living room to join Adrienne in the kitchen while Nick left to go buy a pack of cigarettes. Adrienne turned to Lark and asked, “You brainwashed him, didn’t you?” Her roommate flashed an annoyed glance back.

“No, Adrienne. I actually _talked_ to him. You know, like the thing humans do to communicate. We _talked_. Am I making myself clear?”

“Very clear. But you’re the infamous Lark Ludo. You never just talk to men with civility and respect.” Adrienne sounded suspicious.

“Okay, the reason I was nice to him was because he obviously makes you happy and I’m in no position to get in the way of that.” Lark wasn’t the most sincere person, but Adrienne knew she was speaking from the heart. After that, there was nothing but quiet in the room until she spoke again. “He reminds me of someone. Is he in a band or something?”

Adrienne bit her lip and just kept her mouth shut.

\----------

By evening time, Adrienne and Lark were growing restless from lack of excitement. Nick was the living room trying to write music, but looked like he was struggling by the way he was chewing on his pen. Lark kept the night from being a total waste by suggesting they all go to a rave happening across the city. Neither Nick or Adrienne were very excited by that idea, but figured it would be a nice change of pace.

By midnight, which was when all good raves usually started, everyone in the house got ready to leave. They all piled into Lark’s car and followed the scavenger hunt-like directions she was given, going to various locations, meeting with mysterious-looking people for further instructions, and of course, buying enough glow sticks to last them until the new millennium. It took some time to get there, being that rave parties were the most secretive events around. They finally made it to the location. The party was being held at an old warehouse facility in an isolated part of town. Everyone got out of the car to inspect the building from afar. Even from a distance, the music was loud and obnoxious.

None of these hopeless souls have ever been to a rave, so they didn’t know what to think… at first. Nick was the first one to share his remarks. “Wow, this looks like a place where animals and virgins get sacrificed by Satanists,” he said without humor. That seemed to break any tension the group was feeling for everyone broke into laughter right away. Nick and Adrienne clung to each other as Lark made a dash for the action inside.

Apparently, no one was responsible for carding people as they went in so just about anyone was allowed inside. Nothing could be heard in the building besides European techno music and everything was surrounded by seizure-quality strobe lights flickering around countless rave-goers. Once they were inside, it was everyone for themselves. Adrienne looked one way and then the other, and before she knew it, her husband and roommate were nowhere to be found. She was completely out of her element. Her first reaction was to panic at the thought of being all alone in a place where hundreds of intoxicated, possibly violent people were gathered in. After taking a deep breath and thinking things through, Adrienne resolved to amble around and find anyone familiar to her. That was easier said than done. People were everywhere and there was really no way to maneuver around without walking on top of each other.

She was determined to find someone though, so she braved the sea neon-clad twenty-somethings. The warehouse was larger than she thought it was. Adrienne spent an unknown amount of time searching and she was close to giving up. She stood by an aluminum wall with her arms crossed, trying to see though the reprehensible lighting. Not paying attention behind her, Adrienne felt someone tap on her shoulder lightly. She jumped with a yelp and turned around with a hand over her rapidly beating heart. It was Nick behind her. She’d never been happier to see anyone in her life. Adrienne threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

“I knew I’d find you sooner or later!” She lied, not wanting to admit how worried she was.

“What do you mean? I’ve been searching all over for you. I’m the one who found _you_. And let me tell you something, Adrienne, you’re not an easy woman to find.” He smiled, making Adrienne feel so much better about what she went through tonight.

 She couldn’t let go of him, even when Nick reached in his pocket to light a cigarette. Adrienne wasn’t about to let him vanish again. She felt like she needed to protect and be protected at the same time. Nick may not have been the biggest, most threatening-looking man in the world, in fact Adrienne was probably more threating than him, but somehow she felt a sense of security that she’s never known before with anyone. That safety made her feel like she was being taken care of.

Nick was trying to make it seem like he was having a good time, but Adrienne could catch on quickly. He obviously wasn’t the rave party type, being ten years too old for that scene anyhow. It wasn’t difficult to conclude that Nick wasn’t particularly comfortable being there. But he didn’t complain, he was there for Adrienne, even if she wasn’t very excited either. He would do anything for her, but it appeared that Nick probably couldn’t wait to get back to his own home with his own family.  

The rest of the night consisted of Nick and Adrienne standing to the side while others were on the dance floor having the time of their lives. It was like those awkward middle school parties, where the shy kids stood by the wall. By dawn, everyone had dissipated and the building was nearly empty. Adrienne finally found Lark after all but forgetting about her. She had a completely different experience than Adrienne and Nick. Lark staggered towards Adrienne wearing her sunglasses; evidently she had no qualms about drinking excessively like all the others.

Adrienne started to laugh; at least one of them had a good time. “You’re totally smashed aren’t you?” She asked Lark, who could do nothing but nod and rub her head to indicate pain.

She threw her car keys to Adrienne. “Please drive me home before I die.” Lark groaned and stumbled out of the warehouse. Nick and Adrienne followed behind her. It was six in the morning and the sun was barely out by the time Adrienne was on the road driving. Her roommate was in the backseat sleeping a hangover away, while Nick was trying not to doze off in the passenger seat. As she was driving, Adrienne thought of the days to come. She was home for just three days and already couldn’t wait to leave again.  

                                                                


	13. Laid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment has finally come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took four and a half months but here it is!

 

First class accommodations did little to make the ten hour flight to London any more comfortable, thought the stewardesses did their best to appease cranky travelers with an excess of alcohol. Nick was greatly appreciative of that. His least favorite mode of transportation was by airplane. Lack of control on his part made flight travel exceedingly difficult for him. In contrast, Adrienne was practically bouncing off her chair with excitement. This was obviously her first international flight and that made it memorable.

The week Nick spent with Adrienne in her hometown was far more pleasant than he envisioned. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t homesick. He missed his daughter like crazy and felt guilty most of the time for missing a lot of Tatjana’s childhood. It was in his job description to go all over the world and perform, certainly not the ideal career choice for a single father but he dealt with it the best he could. Her eleventh birthday was just a couple days away and Nick made the effort to get back home in time. Julie Anne was supposed to drop Tatjana off at his house the very next day, which Nick wasn’t too thrilled about. They barely spoke to each other unless conversations revolved around their daughter. Julie Anne wasn’t his favorite person in the world, that much was true, but he had to remain civil towards her for his daughter’s sake. He couldn’t hate the mother of his own child… could he?

Nick flashed an interested eye towards Adrienne, who was looking outside her small window, mesmerized by the fleeting landscape. It struck him as odd at how calm she was about all the events that were happening all at once. Not only was she leaving her home country for another and possibly staying there indefinitely, she was also going to be thrust into a brand new life. It might seem fun and carefree to be married to a popstar, but in reality it could be utterly exhausting. He didn’t know if Adrienne was up for that challenge. In addition, technically and legally speaking, Adrienne was step-mother to his young daughter. They were only ten years apart in age difference. Nick and Adrienne hadn’t really gone through the specifics of such a revelation, but they would… soon, hopefully.

In the meantime, Nick wasn’t going to mention anything. He’d decided that Adrienne had enough things to be concerned about. He loved the fact that Adrienne was able to relax and be herself around him, which is something he found rare. In his line of work, Nick met a lot of disingenuous people, always trying to put on an act for him. But he always saw right through their insincerity. Nick had always longed to meet an authentic, classy woman, one that could share his aspirations and accept his passions… and he finally did.

Many hours ago, the two left for the airport in Colorado, late of course, and barely made their flight. Adrienne failed to mention to her family and close friends that she would be leaving for England, until the last possible second. Understandably, they didn’t take too kindly to that. Nevertheless, after some arguing and debating, Adrienne said good-bye to her loved ones and the life she knew. Nick didn’t know how she’d like it in the UK, from his biased viewpoint, England was just dandy.  So many things were happening at the moment, Nick couldn’t sort everything out in his head and the control freak in him couldn’t stand it. There were just some things he couldn’t hold command over. Right now, he was still trying to keep this marriage afloat and hopefully it could.

Nick and Adrienne had been married for two weeks and things were starting to fall into routine. Nick was learning something new about his wife every day. He knew her quirks and mannerisms fairly well now, though in previous relationships, it would have taken months to know vital information like that. He hardly left her side; they were inseparable for the most part. Adrienne was such good company; the pair made each other laugh and they listened to each other’s stories. Nick especially loved kissing her. That was the only thing they did together that involved bodily contact, but it was very pleasant. Nick hadn’t been the same since that dream he had several nights ago. That raunchy, lasciviously sexy dream. Everything had changed since then- his outlook on his marriage and his connection with Adrienne. Things were finally put into perspective. He realized how attracted he was to her sexually and emotionally.

He wanted more though. Nick wanted that dream to end the right way. He _needed_ it to end the right way. For the time being, Nick just sat back in his cushy seat and waited for the flight to end.

The expedition went slightly better than expected. Clear skies and very little turbulence, an anomaly for Nick. Traveling from the United States to the UK was always grueling no matter what the situation, but somehow the last ten hours weren’t so horrible. The plane landed at Heathrow Airport, much to the delight of the irritable, restless passengers who desperately wanted to walk on solid ground again. Nick was one of those people, though unlike the rest of them, he managed to get decent sleep. He turned to Adrienne; she was snoozing with her headphones on. He lightly nudged her shoulder and felt her stir. She didn’t wake up. He reached across and moved one of the headphone speakers off her ear.

Nick whispered softly into her hear, “Adrienne, wake up. We’re here.” He knew Adrienne was a surprisingly heavy sleeper, but he didn’t feel up to the task of shaking her awake. When she wouldn’t respond, he dragged his fingernail against her exposed neck. That did the trick.

Adrienne awakened quickly, looking confused, as most people do when they wake up. “What? Where are we?” She asked with a sleepy voice.

A small smile spread across his face. “The plane just landed. We’re at Heathrow now.”

“Ten hours just flew right by, I guess,” she yawned, then paused to laugh at her own joke.

“I must say, this was one of the least horrific flights I’ve ever been on.” Nick reached into the overhead compartment and retrieved both their carry-ons. He was more than content to leave the aircraft; it consistently felt like he spent more time up in the air than he did on land. Now was the time to just settle down in one place and stay there. By all means, Nick loved to travel and live a jet set lifestyle, but most of all, he loved being back home. All he wanted was to spent time with his daughter and family. That time was very precious to him and nothing could get in the way of it.

Nick led the way as a now fully conscious Adrienne followed suit, into the airport lounge. He called for a taxi and confirmed that it would come in a half hour. Nick wasn’t just going to sit around. He’d done enough of that for one day. He’s been to Heathrow plenty of times and the only thing he liked about it was the abundant shopping. There happened to be a hat shop across the lounge and Nick convinced Adrienne to try on headgear with him, to his astonishment.

So they went into the shop and promptly started looking through hats, modeling their favorites to each other. Nick tried on a top hat and asked how it looked.

Adrienne took a minute to assess him while placing a newsboy hat on her head. “It’s very Abraham Lincoln, minus the beard.” She pointed to her own hat. “How does this one look?”

Nick put a hand to his chin like an inflated critic, with his tongue in his cheek. His stance alone made Adrienne break into laughter.

“You look just like Oliver Twist. It just screams, ‘please feed me, I’m a street rat.’ Excellent choice!” He announced, which had Adrienne laughing even more. He smiled wide and exchanged hats with her.

The couple experimented with almost every hat in the store, much to the confusion and slight amusement of the working staff. They were acting like damn fools and enjoying every minute of it. Lucky for Adrienne, Nick was in one of his playful moods even after a terribly long plane ride. After losing track of time, Nick decided upon a rather stylish trilby hat and Adrienne kept the newsboy cap she was so fond of.

Nick and Adrienne left the shop after the insanity that ensued for the past thirty minutes. In a hurry to catch their cab, they rushed off to baggage claim to gather the rest of their belongings. Just as the two of them made their way outside the terminal, they were met with a barrage of people with flashing cameras. Nick was hoping this wouldn’t happen but the onslaught of paparazzi liked to show no mercy. Adrienne was like a deer in the headlights, looking straight into the cameras before them. If she thought tabloids were bad in the States, there were no words to describe them in the United Kingdom. They were simply ruthless. Fortunately, sixteen long years of dealing with situations like this had made Nick virtually numb to the rude privacy invasions.

He held Adrienne’s hand as they raced off to the taxi patiently waiting for their arrival. He threw both their luggage into the back and obliged her to get in the car before the photographers _really_ got vicious.

“I’m sorry about that, Adrienne. I didn’t think that would happen. Silly me.” He apologized as soon as they were both situated in the cab.

“It’s no big deal,” she assured him. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I just wished I was better dressed for such an honor,” she teased, referring to her questionable choice in oversized clothing.

“I’m sure you photograph very nicely. We’ll find out tomorrow when _The Sun_ hits newsstands.”

“Oh, I can’t wait.” She responded with monotone sarcasm.

Nick beamed an amused smirk her way and slumped back in the seat awaiting yet another return to his empty house. At least it wouldn’t be empty for long.

\----------

The journey to Nick’s home took just a short while. He noted the dazzled stare Adrienne expressed when they arrived. Nick had a beautiful house, no question there. It had this eminently posh London charm to it. The inside was even more stunning and contemporary, furnished with a very thoughtful eye. The color scheme was the same throughout the house, black and white with bright pops of color thrown in. Everything was just elegant and perfect, exactly what one would expect from Nick Rhodes.

The couple settled in once they unpacked completely. Nick was so relieved and happy to be back. He hadn’t seen his own house in several months. What he missed most of all was that famous Picasso painting everyone griped about, which he kept locked away in his bedroom.

Nick and Adrienne were in the sitting area trying to unwind after such a tiring adventure. It wasn’t even afternoon yet. Nick found it droll the way Adrienne moved around his house, like she was at a museum and not allowed to touch anything. Such a sweet, caring girl. He couldn’t care any less if she destroyed the place or not, he had a young child after all. He lost count of how many times Tatjana knocked a vase over or spilled something on the rugs. Nick wasn’t as materialistic as people thought; he bought a lot of ornamental trinkets that were lovely and attractive but they wouldn’t last very long, so he didn’t dwell on them at all.

He thought it was innocent how Adrienne gawked at her new surroundings, with wide-eyed wonderment. It would definitely take time for her to adjust to the living arrangements; Nick didn’t know how long it would be. One thing was for sure, he was going to make her assimilation as easy as he could.  

After several hours of readjustment, Nick decided it was time to leave the house and show Adrienne the city life in London.  As much as he appreciated returning to his beautiful home, he never liked to stay in for too long. This was a type of man who got bored very easily and needed constant excitement… much like a puppy. Adrienne would greatly appreciate the glorious, iconic sights. He suggested his idea to her and she gladly went on board.

Nick wanted to spend the rest of the day showing her around London. There were so many things to see, they wouldn’t get to it all in one day. There was no rush. He led her into the parking garage to get to his car. This surprised Adrienne to an extent. Nick has always stated that he despised driving. He looked on with humor as he noticed Adrienne gazing upon his captivating vehicle, in complete awe. Rarely did he ever drive, but if he had to, he’d at least do it in style. The car was a sleek Jaguar- in black, of course. When every self-respecting Englishman became rich, it was their _obligation_ to purchase a Jaguar… or an Aston Martin.

“Oh my God, it’s a Jag! It’s so beautiful,” Adrienne whispered to him.

He grinned at that. “Why thank you, madam. I aim to impress.” He opened the passenger door for her and offered her the seat. She graciously accepted it. Nick got on the other side and backed out of the driveway. He hadn’t driven in over a year and he was quite rusty behind a wheel. This was the first time he’s actually taken the Jag out for a spin. It was a birthday gift to himself two months prior. He could be downright scary driving a car, a terrible menace to society. Thankfully for everyone on the streets… and the terrified woman sitting next to him, Nick didn’t have to go far to get to the heart of the action.

For the entire afternoon, Nick helped Adrienne discover the whimsy and excitement that the city of London offered. They covered as much ground as they could in a short time. He showed her all around Kensington and Chelsea, the “posh” areas. Then later, they went to the British Museum to fawn over precious artifacts and priceless works of art. Nearly every exhibit was seen by them.

By the end of teatime, Nick and Adrienne were thoroughly drained and both agreed to end the cultural enlightenment for the time being. The museum had a nice restaurant, so Nick insisted they go there for dinner.

“How do you like the city so far?” Nick asked, picking at his meal with a fork.

Adrienne took a moment to look around the beautiful restaurant within the glorious museum before answering him. “I love it. Thank you so much for showing me around,” she gushed.

“It’s been my pleasure and there’s so much more to see. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, that’s a promise.” He put his hand on top of hers and left it there for a minute before raising her hand to his lips for a quick peck. He stared wistfully into lovely grey eyes. She smiled sweetly at him while holding his gaze.

If they weren’t in a public setting, Nick would have the strongest urge to throw her across the table and have his way with her right then and there. His mind was going to devious places… perhaps it was time to go before he actually gave in to those carnal impulses.

\----------

After a fun, yet grueling day, the two of them made it back home. Nick and Adrienne went to the bedroom straightaway. Nick wanted nothing more than to stay in bed for the rest of the evening. Adrienne was in the master bathroom taking a shower. Nick wanted her with him at all times, even though there were several guest bedrooms she would have found to her liking. He’d grown accustomed to sleeping with her. To be able to smell her hair and to feel the warmth against his skin was such a soothing comfort. The immature 16-year-old in him found it enticing that there was a wet, naked woman just behind his door. Immature indeed.  

Unexpectedly, Nick saw her come out of the bathroom, drying her hair off and wearing sensible pajamas. She sat on the edge of the bed next to him until Nick lured her into his arms. They laid together, Adrienne’s head against his chest and Nick petting her hair. This lasted for only a short while. She lifted her head to look at him with what appeared to be sultry eyes… and that’s when he lost total control of himself.

He rolled over so he could get on top of her and get between her legs. She giggled at his sudden control, but stopped when he leaned over and kissed her forcefully. Adrienne moaned softly into his mouth. His lips moved to her neck and he gently nibbled on it. He traveled lower to kiss her clavicle. Nick wanted her more exposed to him so he reached to unbutton her shirt, he looked at her and she nodded her further consent. He opened her shirt slowly but actually wanted to rip it off completely. He refrained himself despite. Nick slide both ends of the fabric to the sides and gazed at Adrienne’s beautiful breasts. He held his breath as he marveled at her partial nudity. Adrienne sat up to let Nick remove her shirt, kissing him roughly in the process.

Nick’s mouth journeyed across her breasts to gently suck on one of her nipples. He swirled his tongue around the sensitive pink nub while he played with the other breast. When he was satisfied with the attention he gave to it, he moved on to her other nipple. All the while, Adrienne was writhing beneath him and moaning loudly under his ministrations.

This time, none of this was a dream.

He gave her breast one last kiss before exploring further down her body. He came across her smooth, lovely abdomen and rained the most pleasant, tender butterfly smooches all over it. Nick wanted to see more of her; he decided to grip the waistband of her pajama pants and swiftly took them off her. All her clothes were gone except for a pair of black cotton panties. He looked into her eyes and saw a sense of insecurity in them.

“Hey, look at me. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Everything about you is beautiful.” He made a point to assure her on everything. Nick only spoke the truth.

She smiled shyly at him and pulled him in for another passionate kiss on the mouth. Nick removed his own shirt and trousers to level the playing field. They just laid in bed together, loving each other’s mouths and reveling in their senses. But Nick could take no more; he lifted Adrienne’s hips up so he could remove her panties. She flashed him a saucy look and that was all it took before he took off his own underwear. He brushed his fingers against her sex to see how aroused she was. Apparently, Adrienne was beyond turned-on and drenched in her arousal. Nick gasped at this. He rubbed his erection along her weeping slit to get himself nice and wet. Usually, he would take to time to further explore a woman’s body, but he wanted to be inside her so badly. He simply thrust his cock into her, eliciting sharp hisses from both of them.

He plunged into her, a little more violently than he intended. Instead of howling in pain, Adrienne cried out in pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he pushed his cock in and out of her rapidly. Nick could feel her hard, elongated nipples against his chest. Adrienne’s hands roamed across his back and stayed there. She pulled him deeper inside her. Nick nearly burst with overexcitement when this action caused her to scream out. He could feel her fingernails gripping and scratching at his back. Their breathing was starting to get ragged and hard. Adrienne thrusted her hips upwards to meet his as Nick bent down and clasped her lower lip to suck on. He could feel that she was close to exploding around him; she was so tight, he himself found it difficult to last any longer.

Thankfully, Nick didn’t have to wait too long. Her climax came fast and forcefully, she even screamed throughout it. He tried to muffle the sound by kissing her again. He finally let go with a slow groan and came inside her. By the end of their love making, the two of them were panting hastily. Nick collapsed on top of Adrienne and laid his head between her breasts while she slowly stroked his hair. Both of them were a sweaty, tired mess… and that was the most sexually satisfying experience either of them have ever had.   

                                                                                                              


	14. Feels Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning kitchen sex like you've never read before!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that the next chapters will be a lot more meaningful. This chapter wasn't intended to be purely sexual, I had to split it up because it was too long. But if you like to read a lot about oral sex, this is the chapter for you!

 

Adrienne awoke the next day to the delicious smell of food coming from downstairs. She looked beside her and Nick wasn’t there. She lied on the oversized, extremely comfortable bed completely naked and all alone. The room was colder then she would have liked so she was averse to pull the warm blankets off her body. Adrienne lazily got out of bed and found Nick’s dress shirt to wear, not being in the mood to look for her own clothing scattered about. The shirt covered just enough of her lower body to be considered appropriate. Before leaving to follow the scent coming from the kitchen, she looked at herself through a full-length mirror and noticed a healthy glow to her complexion. It had to be one of those sex-related glows. She couldn’t help but smile at her own reflection. Adrienne made love with her husband and not only was it enjoyable, it was also very fulfilling. It was fantastic.  Not one of her previous sexual experiences had ever been like that. She got to share something so special with the man of her dreams. Things were perfect at the moment.

She practically skipped down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen where the marvelous aroma of food was coming from. Nick was behind the stove happily whistling and cooking omelets. Adrienne tip-toed behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing him on the neck.

“Good Morning,” she moaned sensuously into his ear, distracting him from cooking. She noticed that he also had that lovely, sexual glow to him. Nick’s hair was sticking up, his shirt was untucked, and his pants were wrinkled. He was a beautiful, disheveled mess. It reminded her of the first time they ever met in that hotel room in Nevada. They knew they had sex that night but neither could remember with them being so drunk and all. But last night was completely unforgettable.

“Good morning to you too,” he said, trying to kiss her chin ,but she moved away in a teasing fashion. He frowned at her and she laughed, relenting by brushing her lips tenderly against his.

“Are you making me breakfast?”

“Well, I am a gentleman after all.” He told her with a nod.

This was a first; no one had ever made Adrienne breakfast after sleeping with her. They’d usually leave long before sunrise and pretend nothing ever happened. She openly sighed and hopped on the countertop to watch her husband inquisitively. When Nick was done cooking, he handed her an omelet on a plate. He stuck a fork in it and offered her a bite. Adrienne was starving, so she hungrily accepted it. Nick fed her lovingly and it felt wonderful to be taken care of like that. When she finished eating, Nick took the plate from her and set it aside. She could feel his eyes roaming across her body.

“Why do women always look better in men’s clothing than we do?” Nick inquired, rubbing her knee with the back of his hand.

Adrienne looked him in the eyes and unfastened the first few buttons of the shirt, exposing the tops of her breasts. “Women have better cleavage,” she stated boldly, biting her lip slightly. She looked at the empty plate beside her and asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not for food,”  he said with a mischievous glint in his jade green eyes.

“Then what are -” before she could finish her sentence, Nick went and kissed her on the mouth unexpectedly. It caught her by further surprise when he started further unbuttoning the shirt she had on. Once he had it removed, his lips went towards her neck. He sucked on it gently enough not to leave a mark, but then nibbled on it. Adrienne gasped as he did this, feeling herself melt from within. His mouth moved lower onto her collarbone, then to her breasts. He lingered on them for quite some time. Adrienne was reveling in such attention; normally she would have been extremely self-aware of her own body, not knowing that she was extremely desirable to the opposite sex. Her body was remarkable, tall and slim without being lanky. She had this feminine hourglass figure that Nick couldn’t seem to get enough of. He usually dated women with emaciated, boyish frames and Adrienne was a far cry from that.

His lips and tongue traveled across one of her breasts while a stray hand squeezed the other. She loved that he was gentle and rough at the same time. Adrienne’s breasts were slightly larger than she would have liked, she thought they made her look cheap. But Nick didn’t treat her as such; he adored her chest in the most divine way.  She couldn’t keep from crying out as his teeth grazed her hardened nipple, sucking it into his mouth. He licked around her areola roughly and kissed the rounded top of her generous mound. He moved across her other breast and paid special mind to it. He grew ravenous and decided to place gentle bites around her entire breast before opening his mouth wide to take most of her breast into his mouth. Adrienne was having trouble breathing in a normal way; Nick’s mouth was driving her insane. She thought she’d burst just from this stimulation. Suddenly, Nick removed his wet mouth off her breast and started kissing down her flat stomach. She felt his tongue go inside her navel, swirling it around rapidly. That made her laugh, it tickled so much. But then he stopped and licked her lower abdomen. Adrienne stiffened as soon as she felt his hot breath between her legs and jumped when he placed a sweet kiss on her mons.

Nick didn’t stay there long; he moved along to run his hands across her beautiful legs. He kissed the length of one leg until he reached the inside of her smooth thigh, licking and nibbling on it. He did the same to the other thigh, as his hands traveled to her breasts to play with them. By then, she was almost panting. She wasn’t used to this kind of intimate attention. She propped her elbows on the countertop and lifted her head to see what he was doing.  All the thoughts in her head flew out when Nick ran his tongue along the full length of her cleft. She let out a loud moan and almost closed her legs shut, but Nick spread her legs wide and kept his hands on her thighs. Her juices were running freely out of her gash and he greedily drained them with his mouth. He spread her labia with two of his fingers and licked the glistening pink flesh inside. All she could see was a blond head looming between her legs. He sucked one of her swollen lips in his mouth, using his tongue to massage it. He then repeated the action with the other lip. Adrienne lifted his head up slightly so she could see eyes. His eyes were bright, lust-filled targets aimed directly at her. She let go of his hair so he could resume his ministrations. Nick pushed his tongue deep inside her opening and used it as a wicked sexual device devoted to her pleasure. She groaned at the feeling of his gentle, probing tongue. He had his entire mouth on her sex, making these lewd, obscene slurping sounds. This was driving her crazy with need. Her hands laced through his hair and pushed his head deeper between her legs. From that moment on, his mouth and lips went into a frenzy. His tongue went everywhere, leaving no spot of her sex untouched. Such a talented mouth he had. The kitchen was filled with Adrienne’s emphatic moaning and she screamed once Nick flicked his tongue across her clitoris. He sucked on it gently as his fingers spread her lips open. His mouth and chin were drenched in her sweet nectar. He was hungry and ate her with intensity. It was like he was trying to devour her.

“Please don’t stop! It feels so good!” She pleaded and cheered him on. A list of emotions was going through her, but all she could think about was the pleasure this man was bringing her. Nick pushed two long fingers into her tight entrance and stroked her from the inside. He sucked on her clitoris harder this time, causing Adrienne to buck her hips against his face. She was shivering violently and quickly let her desire take over her entire body. Adrienne screamed and held on to his head as her quivering thighs trapped him against her delicious aperture. She came hard against his face, but he kept manipulating her with his mouth, lapping up all her wetness. He wouldn’t let up and kept teasing her clitoris with an eager tongue. He quickly brought her to another devastating orgasm. Her insides were crushing his fingers and when she relaxed, he pulled them out of her and into his mouth to lick them clean. He licked his mouth so he could taste the moisture around it. It was obvious he loved the way she tasted.

Adrienne grew delirious after such an experience, somewhat dizzy as well. Little white dots floated through her vision and she was a extremely shaky. She looked lovingly at her gorgeous husband, the man who brought her so much ecstasy. He kissed his way back up Adrienne’s glorious body until they were face to face with each other. She kissed him on the forehead as a sign of gratitude. He responded by kissing all over her face.

“Thank you for letting me do that,” he said breathlessly between kisses.

Adrienne almost laughed right in his face. It should have been her thanking _him_. But Nick was being completely serious, so she just humored him. “You’re welcome,” she sighed.

Then a huge grin spread across his face. “I want to do it again.” He wasn’t done with her yet and Adrienne was exhausted, barley able to move or protest. She didn’t have a chance against him and lied back on the cold kitchen counter with her eyes closed. All of a sudden, she felt Nick’s hands on her waist, helping her off the ledge and to her feet. Her legs felt like rubber. Nick lowered himself onto the floor tiles to lie on his back and beckoned Adrienne towards him. She straddled his waist, feeling strange doing so because she was naked and Nick was still fully-clothed. She leaned forward with her palms on his chest and claimed his mouth as her own. They spent an endless amount of time passionately enveloping each other lips. Adrienne broke their kiss and pressed her lips against the side of his neck, flicking her tongue against him. She just wanted her mouth on him, to taste his flesh. But he wouldn’t let her dawdle on him for too long, much to her chagrin. Nick brought her face to his and gave her a peck on the nose. She sat up on top of him and as soon as she did, Adrienne felt him shuffle beneath her until his mouth was right back in between her legs again, with her knees on either side of his face. She looked at him oddly with astonishment, having never been in such a positon before. This was incredibly naughty and kinky to her, but any sense of modesty escaped from her mind when she felt his luscious mouth on her again. There was no teasing. He dove into her with the same appetite as before, his face buried into her sex and hands gripping her firm behind. Within minutes, she was gasping for air and whimpering loudly.

His tongue was driving her insane once again and bliss was surging through her body. Adrienne felt hedonistic the way she was using him for her own pleasure, but accepted her selfishness and just let it all happen. She supported herself with her hands flat on the hard surface of the kitchen tiles, her back forming a perfect arch as Nick savagely feasted from her. She wondered how this scene would have looked from another perspective; she was basically using a man’s face as a weird sex chair. She would have giggled at such insight, but Nick’s tongue was doing absolutely magical, sinful things to her clitoris that quickly brought her to another strong climax. She screamed out and came violently against his mouth again. Her orgasm was even stronger than the other ones. Like before, he gently licked around her sensitive pleasure center and brought her down from an exquisite high. She heard him audibly swallowing her flowing essence. He slid out from under her just before she would have collapsed on top of him. She found it hard to catch her breath as she lied on the frigid ground ,on her stomach. Shivers consumed her body as her nipples made full contact on the freezing tiles. At least the floor was clean. When she found the strength, she lifted herself up a bit, with her elbows on the floor and her face in her hands. Her knees were a little sore from being on such a hard surface for an extended period of time, but she didn’t care. It was worth it.

She looked behind to see Nick shedding off his clothes with a devious smile on his face. She rolled on to her back and smiled back at him. He lifted her off the floor and led her towards the breakfast table, where he had her sit on the top. She tried to remain ladylike by putting one leg over the other, but Nick quickly put an end to that by prying them apart while forcing himself between them. He pushed her gently on the table so she could lie there comfortably. She felt his hard erection hit her inner thigh and she yearned for him to be inside her. She reached over to cradle his beautiful face in her hands. His mouth was still slick with her arousal, but she placed a chaste kiss on his lips anyway. Nick looked so unkempt and stunningly gorgeous at the same time. She could have gazed into his eyes forever, and might have if Nick wasn’t so damn impatient. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder while he brought the other one around his waist and guided his stiff cock inside her tight canal. She was so wet, he just slid right in. Adrienne was still very sensitive from that fabulous oral sex but Nick filled her completely, it was like nothing she had ever felt before. There was this intense stirring she felt in her loins and it emanated throughout her entire body. A part of her wanted it to stop, Nick just entered her and she was already coming, but the feeling was just so powerful. Nick must have sensed this wanton desire; he lowered his head and sucked one of her nipples deep into his mouth. He brought a hand between their bodies and started manipulating her clitoris masterfully with his fingers. He needed this woman to unravel completely for him, so he started to thrust ruthlessly in and out of her until he had her thrashing on the table. It was heavenly for her and she couldn’t hold back anymore. Adrienne opened her mouth to scream, but the noise was silent, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she reached that wonderful precipice. It was the longest climax she ever had, slamming through her with full force. She would have passed out if Nick hadn’t given her nipple a sharp bite.

He made her gasp with such an unexpected sensation, but at least it kept her awake. He was still moving inside her, not as forcefully as before though. Adrienne’s mind was reeling from that moment. Once she thought her orgasm was over, she felt the violent aftershocks course through her. They were absolutely toe-curling. The entire time, Nick just held her in his arms, unable to let her go. She laid there on that table, fully satiated… and then some. Adrienne was covered in sweat trying to catch her breath, while Nick was dry as a bone, his breathing totally normal. He really did a number on her!

She didn’t think she could love him any more then at that moment. With her strength back again, she grabbed him by the hair and kissed him with all the force she could muster. It wasn’t sweet or gentle in any way, it was lustful and shameless. She nudged her tongue deep in his mouth, which Nick sucked on carnally. Adrienne had never felt so ravenous before, but the way Nick elicited such compelling reactions out of her brought the animalistic urges from within.  He needed more than this; she could see it in his eyes. He was still fully erect and Adrienne knew he wanted to join her in blissful satisfaction. She couldn’t deny him that anymore, but before she could do anything about it, Nick pulled her off the table and spun her around. He bent Adrienne over against the table on her stomach and placed one of her knees on the table top. He was about to take her from behind! Adrienne couldn’t keep herself from blushing at the thought of this tender, loving man losing all control of his senses and making love to her in such a brutal way. She braced herself for his eminent penetration ,but it didn’t happen right away. She looked to see what he was waiting for and saw him drop to his knees behind her. The next thing she felt was him slither that magnificent tongue of his between her swollen, glistening nether lips.

“Oh fuck, Nick! You _really_ like to do that, don’t you?” She laughed and moaned noisily. His only reply was to lick long and luxuriously across her entire slit several times as he gripped her delectable backside to spread her sex wide open. Nick did this for a few minutes before he stood up again and positioned himself behind her. Without further waiting, he pushed himself deep inside her and he went at her with total abandonment. He needed this and Adrienne let him take it, as sore as she was. She really didn’t think she was able to come again ,but his shaft was stroking her innermost depths with incredible finesse. She felt the tip of his cock hit the particularly special place in her body most men had difficulty finding. This had her bucking in no time and Nick had to hold on to her hips to keep her from going anywhere. Pleasure consumed her for the last time as she cried out in ecstasy. Nick also reached the zenith and finished with a long sigh. After he recovered, Nick removed himself from Adrienne so she could find her strength, then turned her around and lifted her onto the table again. She just had to lie down after all that. No one had ever worn her out like that. Nick moved next to her on the table and leaned in to kiss her, wiping the sweat off her forehead. They stayed like that for a bit, in complete silence. That was until Nick had the need to comment on something previously ignored by the two of them.

“I just realized we can never use this table again.” 

 

 


	15. Return to Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A birthday party leads to a life-altering realization.

 

The doorbell rang the minute Nick and Adrienne descended down stairs after getting dressed. He knew who was behind that door and was more than excited to open it. Once he did, his daughter went flying through the door, nearly tackling him to the ground.

“Daddy!” Tatjana exclaimed as she threw her arms around her father.

When it came to his only daughter, Nick had trouble fighting his own emotions. He nearly broke down at the sight of her. It’d been so long since he’s seen her. “Oh, how are you, my darling? I’ve missed you so much!” He held on to her like his life depended on it.

Father and child reunion.

“I missed you too, Dad,” she whispered to him, small tears in her eyes. Nick wiped them away as he hugged her. He’d never seen her so emotional. It wasn’t like this was new to either of them; Nick would always leave for a couple of months and then come back to her. But Tatjana was old enough to realize now that this wasn’t a lifestyle that was normal or even healthy at that. Nick vowed to make that up to her. He’d be there for her no matter what the cost.

Nick looked in front of him and there was Julie Anne. He hadn’t even realized she was there, all quiet and such. She had this odd expression on her face as she turned her attention to the tall young woman next to him. Julie shook her head slowly as if she was in some sort of a daze.

“I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t know you had company,” she said referring to Adrienne, who was also in an awkward position. Unfortunately, Adrienne seemed to be the only factor that didn’t fit in. He glanced at her, and then back at Julie.

“No, don’t worry about it, Jules,” he said as he tried to distract himself from possible mayhem by stroking Tatjana’s dark blonde hair. “This is my girlfriend, Adrienne.” He paused for a reaction. Nick didn’t like lying to the woman he once loved, but felt it was his obligation… and technically, what he was telling her _was_ the truth, except this girlfriend of his was legally attached to him.

“Nice to meet you,” Julie Anne waved to Adrienne from the doorway, looking a little perplexed.

“You too,” Adrienne said timidly.

There was silence for a minute and polite smiling among the confused adults before Julie decided to move on.

“Well, um… I’m just going to leave now,” she laughed uncomfortably and faced her ex-husband. “It was nice seeing you again, Nick.”

“Likewise, Julie Anne.”

She turned to Tatjana and gave her a hug before going. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Try not to give your dad a hard time.”

Her daughter nodded obediently and smiled. “Bye, Mum.”

Julie waved everyone goodbye and walked down the front steps to her awaiting taxi. Nick closed the door while Tatjana gave him a long stare.

“Daddy, you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.” Her eyes were glued to him, waiting for an answer right away.

“I don’t tell you a lot of things, love.” Nick countered with a wary half smile and nervous laugh. “Tatjana, this is Adrienne. Adrienne, this is my daughter, Tatjana.”   

Nick was expecting some sort of backlash from his daughter towards Adrienne. He’d seen too many movies about children and their everlasting hatred towards a parent’s new love interest. So what happened next was the last thing Nick expected. Tatjana went over to Adrienne and gave her a hug. Her small hands held Adrienne tightly, as they had with her father. Nick saw Adrienne search his face for an answer to this, but he couldn’t give her one and simply shrugged.

She laughed, “Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

“Oh, no, the pleasure’s all mine. Any friend of my father’s is a friend of mine.” Tatjana released her grip on the young woman.

Nick and Adrienne looked at each other and sighed together. What a relief that was. The next several hours consisted of Tatjana asking about Adrienne and how Nick met her, how long they’ve been together and if they had plans to get married in the future. That last question made them both laugh.

 What Tatjana was most curious about was hearing about her father’s time in other countries, his travels always interested her. She’s had opportunities to go with him on tour when she was younger and thought everyone’s parents did what he did.  This was normal to her. Now that she started school again, it was almost impossible to see him when she wanted to. The divorce didn’t make it easier either. Nick couldn’t believe how old his child was now, she’d be eleven the very next day and there was nothing he could do about it. How time just flew by, one minute she was that newborn baby he held in his arms and now she was almost a teenager. He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. This made him feel old, he was young when he became a father, just twenty-four, but he was mature enough to take on that responsibility and happy to do it. People in his line of work don’t have kids at that age, especially when they’re at the peak of their success. Pop stars don’t do anything like that.  Everything he went through the last several years was so taxing on him that he couldn’t help but feel old.

After some time, Tatjana got over-anxious from being at home for too long and begged Nick to take her out for quality time. He couldn’t say no to her. She raced upstairs to get her coat while she left her father and Adrienne in the living room.

“Nick, I’m just going to stay here until you guys come back.” She said.

“Why, what’s wrong?” He asked with concern in his eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong. You haven’t seen your daughter in person for months. I just feel like you two should be alone for a bit and talk privately.” Adrienne reached over and stroked his chin with her thumb.

“We’ve been inseparable since we left Las Vegas. It’ll be odd not being with you for the rest of the day.” Nick had a sad smile on his face.

“I know, but this is your chance to bond with Tatjana. It’s been a while and you both need this.”

He nodded with acceptance. Tatjana came down the stairs and eagerly stood by the front door. “Are we going or not?” She said impatiently.

“In a minute, dear.” Nick turned to Adrienne and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he left. “Try not to forget about me,” he teased.

“As if!” Adrienne smirked and pushed him away playfully.

They said their good-byes before Nick grabbed his jacket from the coat rack near the foyer and left the house with Tatjana. She loved the park so that’s where they went. It was close enough so they could walk. When they got there, Tatjana made a beeline for the swing set. Nick took the swing next to her and they spent their time talking like old friends would after years of not speaking to each other.

Whenever he talked to his daughter, it amazed him how honest he could be with her. He always spoke to her like an adult, never patronizing her because of her age.

“So how do you like Adrienne?” He asked, twisting the chains of the swing together as he sat on it.

She smiled at him and said, “I think she’s wonderful and very pretty too.” There was now a look of sadness across her face. “But I also thought that about Maddie and that didn’t work out well, did it?”

He looked to the ground with the same melancholy on his face as well. “No, it didn’t. This is different though, Tatjana. Adrienne and I have been through a lot together. We’ve gone through things that most people would never understand.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. After a minute, she spoke again. “So I guess I shouldn’t ask about it then?”

“Not if you want to be confused.”

“Do you love her, Daddy?”

Nick froze at that question. He stayed silent far longer than his daughter could tolerate.

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” she laughed. “It’s alright, Dad. You don’t have to answer that. I already know.”

His eyes widened at that realization, he didn’t deny his love for Adrienne at that moment. So it had to be true, he loved Adrienne. But he wasn’t going to admit it just yet. Nick remained quiet in order to gather his thoughts. He looked at Tatjana and she offered her hand to him. They held hands and stared at each other silently. There was nothing else left to say.

\---------

Nick decided to take Tatjana out to eat, it was getting dark out and the park was looking less and less safe by the second.  They settled on a small restaurant nearby and ordered their meal.

“Taj, what makes you think I love Adrienne?” Nick asked, still surprised that Tatjana mentioned it. He wasn’t normally so transparent.

She didn’t hesitate to answer. “The way you looked at her reminded me of the way you used to look at Mum.”

“Does that bother you, the fact that I don’t feel that way about your mother anymore?”

“No, I’ve accepted that. I just want you to happy, Dad. I don’t care who you love, as long as they love you back.”

He smiled wide at that, he raised such an intelligent, understanding daughter. Nick held her hand again until their food came. In that evening, they reconnected in a way only a parent and child could after so much time apart. She talked about school and how boring it was while Nick talked about touring and performing in different cities around the States. The thing Tatjana was most excited about was her birthday the following day. Of course!

There was nothing more devastating, yet beautiful than a child growing up before a parent’s very eyes. Nick loved celebrating her birthday, making an event out of it, inviting countless people to a lavish party. But this year it was going to be different, by Tatjana’s request. She wanted a garden party with close friends and family only. That was exactly what Nick planned to do for her. If she wanted, she would have it. He owed her that much after what he put her through.

Nick and Tatjana finished their meal and took a cab back home. They arrived to the house to find Adrienne napping on the sofa with the television on. Tatjana was tired so she went up to her room and into bed.

“Adrienne, we’re home!” Nick announced extra loud so she could hear. She sat up immediately and turned to Nick.

“Hey, where have you guys been?” She tried to pretend she hadn’t dozed off.

“Well, we went to the park and talked, then we had dinner… and talked. Exactly what you suggested, Adrienne.” He said with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow at him in challenge. “And what did you talk about?”

Nick chose his words carefully, not giving away too much. “I don’t know, we just connected on a completely different level that I can’t really explain. It’s like we got to know each other, meet again as if for the first time. It’s so strange, like I was reintroduced to my own daughter.” He remembered their conversation about Adrienne and decided not to discuss anything about it; he’d know when the time was right.

“That’s fantastic, Nick. I was hoping that would happen.”

Nick turned off the T.V. and asked Adrienne to join him up in the bedroom. They slept together, keeping their hands off each other for a change. Nick replayed the lusty events of that morning in his head and it didn’t take him long to drift off to a very peaceful sleep. What transpired that morning would definitely be happening again, but not just in the kitchen. His house was big and there wouldn’t be a problem finding other places to enjoy carnal love. 

\--------

The next day was a hectic one; it was Tatjana’s birthday after all. Nick and his daughter waited patiently outside by the car while Adrienne was getting ready inside. For once, Nick was actually prepared for an event ahead of time and not the one to hold everyone up. When she finally came out, Nick was absolutely mesmerized. Adrienne was breathtaking. She wore a light blue blouse and a flowing lavender skirt with lace hemming. He’d never seen her look so classy.

“Goodness me, you look amazing!” He exclaimed to her.

Adrienne’s face flushed red and she flipped her loose ponytail back flirtatiously. “Thank you very much, kind sir. You’re looking very handsome yourself. Are we ready to leave?” 

“We’ve been waiting since yesterday, Adrienne. That’s how long you took to get ready,” he feigned a disdainful tone.

She brushed him off with a laugh.

“Can we go now? Dad, I don’t want to be like you and be late for my own party.” Tatjana interjected and promptly got in the back seat of the car.

Adrienne focused on Nick and said, “Well, you heard her. Let’s go!”

With that, the two of them got into the car and Nick drove them all to Tatjana’s garden party. What a beautiful location it was, so green and lush, flowers everywhere in every color of the summer. They all stared in awe at the beauty before them and walked further within the garden’s center to be greeted by equally impressed party guests.

As if on cue, the small crowd shouted out, “Happy Birthday, Tatjana!”

The birthday girl looked over to her father with a big grin. “I love you, Daddy.” She went over and hugged him.

“I love you too, darling. Happy Birthday.” He kissed her on the forehead before she went off to find Julie Anne, who helped show her around the lovely oasis. Nick saw Julie and they both gave each other politely casual nods. At least they weren’t at each other throats.  Nick glanced beside him and saw Adrienne positively beaming.

“This place is unbelievable, Nick. You made that kid of yours really happy.”

“Well, I try,” he said with fake modesty.

Nick went over and introduced Adrienne to party guests, who happened to also be family. She met his cousins and some of his friends. Nick couldn’t find his parents anywhere but was on the lookout for them. He inherited his lack of time management from those very people so it didn’t surprise him that they weren’t there yet. He hadn’t spoken to them since before he arrived in Nevada. Just before he broke up with Madeleine. At that time, he wasn’t in good spirits and his parents were very worried about his state of mind. Nick just wanted to find them and show how much his outlook had changed in just a couple of weeks. More than anything, he wanted to introduce Roger and Sylvia to the fabulous woman he accidentally married.

He mingled around for a bit, chatting with dear friends and family. Tatjana insisted on a small gathering for her birthday, which was different for him, he usually entertained endless groups of people during all kinds of parties. Adrienne wanted to see all that the garden had to offer and wandered off on her own. When she left, Nick felt a tap on his shoulder and found Simon standing beside him.

“Simon, I’m glad you could make it!” Nick said as they shook hands and hugged in that awkward way only men could.

“You know I wouldn’t miss this. Besides, when Yasmin heard ‘garden party’, there’s no way she’d stay home.”

“How’ve you been? I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch more often.”

“Now don’t worry about it, mate. We’ve all been busy. Warren’s on holiday as we speak, that tour just drained the life out of him.”

“I’m just glad it’s all over. It’s been an odd couple of weeks.” Nick felt the need to add that last part and it wasn’t lost upon Simon.

 “Speaking of which, have you still been seeing that Amazonian of yours?” He smiled and patted Nick on the back.

“I think she prefers to be called Adrienne, Simon.” He laughed.

“So you’re still dating her?” Simon wagged his eyebrows curiously.

“Indeed I am, Charlie.”

A crafty sneer spread across Simon’s face. “Oh, you shagged her, didn’t you? I know you did! Don’t deny it!”

Nick suddenly had this overwhelming urge to strangle his best friend in front of everyone.

“How did a conversation like this lead to such an accusation?! God, Simon, this is a child’s birthday party!” He whispered as loud as he could without stirring attention.

Simon scoffed and pulled Nick away to have more privacy. “Pardon my manners, Nick, but this has had me on edge since we parted ways in Las Vegas. You said you’d take it slowly with this girl.”

Nick released a groan of frustration and let it all out. “I’m going as slow as I can! I’ve developed feelings for Adrienne that I didn’t think I could have after all that nonsense with Maddie and Julie Anne. This scares the daylights out of me, Simon. I mean, what if this doesn’t work? What if I fuck this up again? I can’t go through all that pain again, I just can’t!” He finally admitted after keeping his emotions bottled up.

Simon let out an exaggerated sigh but stared at his longtime friend, completely free of judgment. “Nick, you didn’t fuck anything up. If anything, you tried to salvage every bit of those relationships. That didn’t work, but it doesn’t mean you have to act defeated. Like you said before, you’ll bounce back and no matter what, you always will. Don’t forget about that.”

Nick straightened his tie in an attempt to look more composed after that previous outburst. “I don’t know anymore. It shouldn’t be this hard, should it?” He ran his hand through his hair like he always did when he was discouraged.

“No, but we _are_ talking about you, Nick. Since when is anything in your life ever easy?” Simon tried to liven the mood. This seemed to work because Nick actually smiled. He finally realized it was fine for him to have these feelings towards Adrienne, whether she’d be with him for the long-run was simply up to fate.  All he knew for sure was that he was married to a beautiful woman who idolized and respected him. For now, that would have to be enough for him.

 


	16. The Impression That I Get

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the party continues...

 

Anyone could have easily gotten lost in the beauty and lusciousness of the garden. Adrienne ambled around the garden, taking in every colorful flower and green shrub. She found it difficult to walk in her high heels so she took them off. Not the most practical footwear while walking on grassy terrain. The velvety grass tickled the soles of her feet while her mind went to this tranquil, harmonious place. Adrienne thoroughly enjoyed the quiet serenity that she rarely experienced in the city.

There was this small, intricate fountain, one of several in the garden that she just had to get a better look at. It was delicately adorned with flowery detailing throughout, lovely in every way. She sat near the border around it and watched the water flow from it, cascading like elegantly large waves. She couldn’t believe that this was the location of an 11-year-old’s birthday party. Certainly the most dignified celebration she had attended. Everything was silent except for birds chirping away and the mild sound of wind blowing. She looked inside the fountain and saw tiny fish swimming about. She dipped her fingers into the water and felt the rough scales of a few fish brush against her.

Adrienne needed some time to herself; she just needed to think for a while. She wasn’t the most sociable person but she did like meeting the people in Nick’s life. Adrienne realized how much they both changed in a matter of weeks. They went from perfect strangers to integral lovers. Funny how that works. As much as she liked how things were going, she wanted more. Probably more than Nick was willing to give. She wanted a real marriage; even though she swore she would never even exercise the thought of matrimony. That was before she met Nick. Now all she thought about was her future with him and… what their children would be like.

 This was so surreal.

Before all these events, marriage and family had been in the back of her mind. She didn’t know where her life was headed after college, but it definitely wasn’t going to involve wedlock and spawning children. But she was getting way ahead of herself. Adrienne was still so young and had her entire life in front of her. Her mind was reeling over her changes in life direction; she didn’t give up much to be with Nick, yet it was all still baffling to her. She missed her mother, sister and friends, however, they were always a phone call away and she could fly back to Colorado anytime she wanted. She quit her job back home, but it wasn’t like she was going to work in a video store forever.

Adrienne had dreams and aspirations that no one seemed to believe in, all she ever wanted to do was become a director and film documentaries. Her family back home tried to be supportive, but they were always skeptical.

Nick wasn’t like that, he was a dreamer himself. He understood how important film was to her and backed her up completely. He believed in her.

Adrienne realized that marrying Nick was the best mistake she ever made.

She stayed in that secluded area, listening to the quiet whistling of air. That was until she heard her name being called out from far away.

“Adrienne!” It was Nick’s voice, but she couldn’t see him.

“I’m over here, Nick!” Adrienne called to him.

“Where?”

“By the fountain! Just follow my voice!”

Nick appeared from the underbrush and found her a second later. “You certainly like to run off, don’t you?” He chuckled.

“I didn’t run off. I went for a leisurely stroll.”

Nick took a seat next to her and gazed at the fountain. “I can’t blame you, such a lovely garden this is.”

There were no words exchanged for the briefest of moments, just muted appreciation of the enchanting surroundings.

Adrienne broke the short silence, “How’s the rest of the party going?”

“Everything is going by swimmingly. The guests are thoroughly enjoying themselves.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but he was hesitant to go on.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just that… my parents finally arrived a short while ago and I would really like for you to meet them.”

“Oh… really?”

“Absolutely! I’ve been telling them all about you. They’re just dying to meet you.”

Adrienne felt kind of flattered by that. Instead of being nervous about it, she felt honored. Nick is so family-oriented and the fact that he wanted to introduce Adrienne to his parents was rather heart-warming. Neither of them was afraid to accept their relationship any longer.

She stood up and put her heels back on. “I want to meet them too.” Adrienne took him by the hand so he could lead her to them. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you.” It sounded like she was doing him a favor.

Soon they were back to rejoin the conservative crowd of people. Nick left to find his parents and soon came back with them to meet Adrienne. He had his arm around her in order to comfort her… or keep her from running away. She couldn’t figure out which. Nick attentively introduced her to his parents. “Adrienne, I’d like you to meet my parents, Roger and Sylvia Bates.”

Before she could shake their hands, his mother was all over her in a flash. She came over and gave Adrienne a kiss on each cheek.

“Goodness, Nick! You didn’t tell us she was so gorgeous. Isn’t she gorgeous, Roger?” Sylvia said as she nudged her husband’s shoulder.

Roger took a good look at Adrienne and then at Nick. “What can I say? I raised a son with good taste.” He slapped Nick cheerfully on the back with a good- natured laugh. “It’s nice to meet you, love.” He took her hand for a kiss.

“And it’s an honor to meet the both of you,” she blushed.

They all conversed for a bit, Nick’s parents welcomed Adrienne into their hearts and instead of judging her or looking down at her in any way, they made her feel like she was meant to be a part of their family. His parents were incredibly cordial and humorous at that. Nick’s mother was especially friendly, cracking jokes and carrying the conversation. His father was very kind and gentlemanly to fullest extent. After a while, Nick and Roger left to talk alone, leaving Adrienne with Sylvia.

Nick’s mother leaned over and whispered to her, “Adrienne, you may not know this, but I think my son is infatuated with you.”

Adrienne’s face lit up brightly when she heard those words. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, he was basically bragging about you the entire time he described you to Roger and I. There was this spark in his eyes that I haven’t seen in so long.”

She just gaped at her “mother-in-law”, not believing her ears. Nick was infatuated with her? She was hopping their marriage would lead to something bigger, but didn’t expect it would happen so fast. Nick needed time to develop these feelings, but they were finally there… probably. She’d only know the truth if it came from Nick himself.

Adrienne smiled at Sylvia as she continued to speak. “He’s the light in life, Adrienne. My only child and the most precious thing in the world to me,” she leaned closer to Adrienne with a sincere stare. “I don’t want him heartbroken again, seeing him so depressed made me miserable. All I ask is that you don’t subject him to that anguish.”

Adrienne nodded thoughtfully, “I promise I’ll never hurt him. He’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met and the last thing I’d ever want to do is break his spirit.”

“I believe you.” Sylvia announced and reached over to hug Adrienne. She left Adrienne alone and went to go find her husband. Once again, Adrienne was by herself. She walked around again; talking to several people she met with Nick. That was until she noticed Julie Anne standing with Tatjana, speaking to one another. A moment later, Tatjana went off to accompany her grandparents and father, leaving Julie alone. Adrienne noticed that a lot of guests didn’t talk to her, Julie was on her own.

It was like everyone was trying to avoid any contact with her, aside from her own daughter. She looked so lonely and out of place. Adrienne felt sympathy towards her so she decided to go over and keep the woman company. Why she felt the need to comfort the ex-wife of her current husband was beyond her… but she did it anyway.

“Hi,” Adrienne greeted nervously.

“Oh hey. Adrienne, right?” She asked dryly, yet still polite. Julie Anne was actually very pretty up close, exotic and mysterious looking. Well, there _had_ to be a reason why Nick married her.

“Yes, that’s me. Great memory you have,” She laughed stiffly. Julie assumed an apathetic face and passive stance. Needless to say, the conversation wasn’t going to get any better. Adrienne sensed that, yet she still carried on.

“So… how’s it going? How’s Tatjana? Is she having a good time? Are _you_ having a good time? Isn’t this the most beautiful place for a party?” She rambled on like a machine spitting out questions for a few minutes and it would have been much longer if Julie hadn’t intervened.

“You know, you really don’t have to talk to me. You probably feel obligated to speak to me, but it’s not necessary. It’s awkward enough that you’re dating my ex-husband, but to be in the same place together… that’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

Adrienne couldn’t even open her mouth to get a word out; it was Julie’s turn to run on and on.

“I’m here for my daughter and that’s it. If I so happen to run into you again, which unfortunately, I probably will, I’d appreciate it if we kept any conversation to a minimum.”

Adrienne could feel her eye twitch in anger. She obviously didn’t appreciate such a condescending reprimand from a woman she barely knew or even liked. That’s what she gets for trying to be nice. Adrienne could be just as patronizing and rude.

“Well, I’m sorry if my politeness insulted you in any way. I was just trying to acknowledge your human existence, whereas everyone else here has avoided you like a quarantined hospital patient… but now I know why.” She replied with absolute indignation and walked away calmly without regret, noting the look of contempt on Julie Anne’s face.

Adrienne would have felt more triumphant if she weren’t still fuming. She wanted to be as far away from her as possible. The nerve, the gall… the audacity of that woman!

“Don’t mind her,” Adrienne heard behind her. She turned and saw Simon there.

“You heard that back there?”

“I did and I have to say you handled Julie quite well. If she had talked to Maddie like that, she would have been taken away in an ambulance by now.”

“I was just trying to be nice and make polite conversation. She didn’t have to bite my head off like that.” She frowned and crossed her arms defensively.

“She’s rather nice when she’s not…”

“Bitchy?”

Simon laughed hard. “I was going to say grouchy, but you’re not wrong either. Try not to let her get in your head. I doubt you’ll be seeing much of her anyway.” He sat on the lush grass and patted the ground for her to sit by him.

“You said something about Madeleine; I take it she put up a good fight against Julie.”  

“Only when she had to, but most of the time they just exchanged pleasantries. They were never good friends, but Jules managed to lighten up… eventually. She’ll do the same with you. Julie Anne isn’t a spiteful person, it might not have worked out with her and Nick, but she still wants him to move on.”

“Do you think she still loves him?”

“Of course she does, and Nick loves her. Though it’s not the kind of love they felt before. Those two were married for nearly a decade and they can’t erase their past no matter how much they try to forget about it.”

Adrienne understood completely and shook her head positively in comprehension.

He continued, “But as it stands, their complete poison for each other. Their marriage is over and done with. They’ve moved on, especially Nick.”

“It doesn’t take much for him to bounce back, does it?”

“Not really, but I wouldn’t call that a good thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Nick and Maddie were dear friends even before he separated with Jules. Immediately after the divorce, he ran to her for comfort. Several years later, he decided he wanted to marry her, but Maddie simply wasn’t interested, so they broke up.”

“So you’re telling me that Nick moves on too fast, becomes too emotionally invested in someone and then gets his heart broken again?”

“It’s a vicious cycle.”

“You don’t have to believe me or anything, but I would never do that to him. Nick means everything to me. I’ve never cared about anyone as much as him.” Adrienne felt like she had to prove herself to everyone in Nick’s small world, to let them know she was devoted to him entirely.

“You love him, don’t you?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

She didn’t answer him, just stared at him until a small smile spread across her face. That was her answer.

“I think he loves you too.”

For some reason, a part of her already knew that and another part of her was still dubious. It was such a lovely thought; someone she loved actually loved her back… maybe. It made her deeply happy.

Simon got up to leave and flashed Adrienne a wink before moving along. Adrienne smiled at him as he left. She stayed in the same spot until she heard a bunch of people singing “Happy Birthday.” She went over to join the commotion and saw Tatjana blowing out the candles on her large cake. Next to her, Nick and Julie Anne busted out their trusty cameras and started flashing photographs of a very annoyed child.

Oh, what a day it’s been.  

 


	17. All I Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bathroom romp and an ending that raises more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Been on vacation for the last month and writing sex scenes while sharing a hotel room with a much younger sister hasn't been very easy. 
> 
> Next chapter won't take as long. I promise! Comments and feedback of any kind are much appreciated. Thank You and Enjoy!

 

Nick hung up the phone after talking to an MTV official to confirm an interview set up by EMI. He sighed and rubbed his hand across his face. Even with the ghastly _Medazzaland_ tour over with, he and the band still had to subject themselves to the tortures of questions and evaluations. He didn’t mind doing interviews; he even enjoyed them… sometimes. The problem was that he just wanted to forget the events of the past year and move on, but every single interview of 1997 liked to bring those unfortunate events up during at least one conversation. He’d lost count of how many times he’s had to explain why John left the band before the album was released and how Duran Duran’s allegedly misogynistic music video for “Electric Barbarella” was supposed to be humorous as opposed to being offensive towards women.

Needless to say, Nick was starting to get sick of it and yet he agreed to the interview anyway. Any publicity was good at this point.

Tatjana was in school and Adrienne was dead asleep. Nothing could wake that woman up. Her fatigue was starting to worry Nick; she’d been in London for nearly three weeks now so jetlag wasn’t the issue anymore. Nick’s inflated ego summed it up to exhaustion from all their sexual adventures late at night. The way he attacked Adrienne when she least expected it every single night would make any woman tired afterwards.

Nick was in the kitchen drinking down a full kettle of tea without realizing it. He made a pot of coffee for Adrienne for when she woke up. He could tolerate the taste of coffee but not the jittery buzz it gave him. He was fidgety enough without the help.

By eleven o’clock, Nick got tired of waiting and decided to wake Adrienne himself. He went upstairs and slowly opened the door to his bedroom. He expected to see Adrienne in bed but it was empty and neatly made. Then he heard the water running from the tap in the bathroom so he rapped on the door and heard no answer. The door was ajar just slightly so he opened it fully and went right in. He saw Adrienne in the bathtub wearing a sleeping mask and headphones over her ears, listening to music and softly singing the familiar tune of “I Don’t Want Your Love.”

She looked so relaxed.

He knew she couldn’t hear anything from the blaring sound coming from her Discman. Nick moved quietly towards her, reached over and removed the mask from her face. Adrienne’s eyes shot open and she jumped a little out of surprise. She really should have expected it seeing as she didn’t bother to lock or even close the door entirely. Seeing it was Nick though, she smiled and started laugh.

“May I help you?” She teased and removed her headphones.

“Yes, actually. You could help me by not singing.”

“Is my voice that bad?” She grimaced.

“No, no! Of course not. But if you sing another verse, I’ll have to charge you money or sue you for copyright infringement.”

Adrienne laughed again. “You’re so mean!” She splashed him with sudsy water. “You’d sue your own wife?”

“In a heartbeat!” He smiled brightly at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Never mind the issues. I won’t tell if you don’t. Sing to your little heart’s content.” He leaned against the wall opposite the tub.

“Join me?” She asked innocently, flicking tiny bubbles at Nick.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He rushed to get his clothing off quickly then got in the tub and moved behind Adrienne to sit. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and started washing Adrienne’s beautiful hair. Nick heard her giggle at the sensation his hands were bringing to her scalp. She was too ticklish but Nick found that extremely entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Apparently, his hands felt marvelous, she started moaning softly as his hands massaged her. The sounds she was making were starting to elicit excitement from Nick in the form of an unwarranted erection that was beginning to poke Adrienne in the lower back.

 She turned to him with an evocative eyebrow raise and perceptive smirk growing from the corner of her mouth. He blushed slightly and reached for the spryer to rinse her hair off. Once he was done, Adrienne took the sprayer from his hand and attacked him with water. Nick grabbed it back from her and returned the favor. They laughed at one another, splashing water everywhere, on the floor, the mirrors and even the large window above the tub.

When the silliness was over, Adrienne laid her head back onto Nick’s shoulder and looked up at him, staring intently with her stunning grey eyes boring into his brilliant green ones. He leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth; Adrienne turned her body to look at him and held N            ick’s face with both hands to deepen their kiss. She showered his face with kisses, at first they were sweet then they turned amorous. Nick reciprocated that passion with his own intensity. He felt her hand run along his body; Adrienne now had a wicked smile on her face. Her hand grasped tightly around his hard cock. He gasped at the pleasurable sensation. She leaned in and caught Nick’s lower lip between her teeth and ran her fingers through his wet hair.

Nick reveled in this loving attention. Adrienne continued to kiss him hungrily all while stroking him roughly underneath the warm water. Then she stopped abruptly, to his disappointment but Adrienne encouraged him with sexier things to come by beckoning him to sit on the ledge of the bath. She was on her knees and Nick could see her naked breasts above the bubbly waterline. His erection was now sandwiched between him and those luscious breasts of hers. She took his face in her hands again and kissed him so gently, almost featherlike. She hesitantly parted from his mouth and went south, licking and nibbling across his chest and torso until she was eye level with his enlarged member.

She lightly blew on his tip, causing a shiver down his spine. The sight of her beautiful face so close to his throbbing erection made it increasingly difficult for Nick to think straight. The next thing he had the pleasure of seeing was Adrienne looking him right in the eye, opening her mouth, much like a python unhinging its jaw to eat its prey. Adrienne was the hungry predator and his aching cock was her prey to be devoured. He groaned once he felt her lips surround him completely. Looking down, Nick peered into Adrienne’s wide, innocent eyes staring back at him with lustful devotion.

She took him out of her mouth for a moment to lick the end of his swollen manhood, and then bit her lip sensuously before engulfing his entire length down her throat with no struggle. He moaned and unconsciously grabbed the back of Adrienne’s head to keep her mouth where it was, not forcefully but enough to encourage her to continue. The way her throat caressed him was exhilarating. Nick released his grip on her hair and Adrienne removed him from her lips again in favor of dragging her tongue along his shaft. Her eyes never left his for a moment. His cock was shiny with her saliva. Nick’s breathing regulated for just a bit before increasing drastically when she brought him back into her mouth and started to suck on him hard, bobbing her head up and down, her hands on his thighs squeezing tight. He didn’t know how much more he could take; her mouth felt so wonderful.  

“Fuck, Adrienne! If you don’t stop I’m going to come in your mouth!” Nick warned her with a shout.

Instead of halting, Adrienne’s pace quickened and she sucked his cock deeper into her mouth. She could sense his urgency and put her skills into overdrive to give him relief. Just seconds passed before Adrienne’s manipulations caused him to hit the brink. He gripped her face and shoved his cock right past her throat and shot his seed into her, coming hard with an anguished, loud groan. He could hear and feel Adrienne swallow his thick cum. She pulled back and removed his spent cock from her lips.

Nick sat on the tub, panting and exhausted.

 Feeling grateful for the immense satisfaction he’d just received, Nick pulled Adrienne’s face up and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her and his tongue invaded her mouth. His tongue battled with hers, each fighting for dominance. He could taste his own cum on her lips and tongue but that only fueled his desire to kiss her. His tongue swabbed all over the inside of Adrienne’s mouth. She moaned into his mouth, a vibration tremoring through it. She ended the kiss and started to giggle.

“You liked that?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

 Nick responded by lifting Adrienne off her knees and out of the water, sitting her on his lap and kissing her ravenously across the neck. His hands were on her breasts, kneading them firmly, fingers pinching her nipples. He then let one of his hands slip between Adrienne’s legs and began to tease her, marveling at how wet she was for him. Adrienne gasped sharply as Nick’s deft fingers explored every inch of her sex. She moved her legs apart so he could access her more easily and play with her excited clitoris.

He pushed his fingers inside Adrienne and felt her luxurious walls crush them hard as she was about to explode. Nick didn’t want her to come that way so he removed his fingers from her and heard her growl in frustration. The look on her face turned into a scowl, visibly upset for being denied quick release. He kissed her then smiled as innocently as he could and then pulled Adrienne off his lap and onto the bathroom floor. Before he got out with her, Nick shamelessly gawked at Adrienne’s glistening wet body while she dried her hair off with a towel. She was gorgeous; Nick would never grow tired of looking at her beautiful, naked body. He just sighed with his eyes glued to her.

The woman he loved dearly. Yes, loved!

 Nick averted his attention from her when she cleared her throat with fake admonishment.

“Enjoying the view?” Adrienne inquired jokingly and threw a dry towel at him. It landed in his face.

“Very much so,” he spoke, removing the towel from his head and wrapping it around his waist.

Adrienne walked into the bedroom, hoping he’d come along with. Not one to disappoint, Nick followed, not without admiring Adrienne’s very shapely behind. When she was near the foot of the bed, Nick grasped her by the arms, spun her around to face him and pushed her down on the mattress. She squealed her excitement as Nick fell to his knees and crawled towards her.

 He’s never crawled for anyone before, not even in the figurative sense, but if anyone was worth getting on all fours for, it was Adrienne. She sat up to see what he was doing and he gazed right back up at her. She was like a glorious, sexual goddess waiting to be worshiped. Nick would do just that.

He started with her feet, taking one foot in both hands, examining it. Her feet were quite small despite her towering height, a feature of hers which Nick found interesting and erotic. He began to kiss and suck on her toes, each one getting his full attention. He then slid his tongue along the bottom of her delicate foot, laving at her instep. He alternated between both feet. Nick remembered the first time he introduced her to this specific proclivity of his. She was apprehensive at first but enjoyed it immensely once he tried it with her.

Nick moved up, kissing Adrienne’s ankles and up her legs. Those incredibly long, gorgeous legs. He constantly dreamt about her legs. They were his favorite part of her body, aside from the delicious spot between them, just above his face.

 He licked and nibbled one of her comely thighs before his arousal got the better of him and he took a big bite out of her silky flesh. Adrienne moaned and let her head fall onto the bed, letting the pleasure and pain take over. Nick licked and sucked on the bite-mark while his hand roamed across the unmarked thigh. He intentionally bypassed her sweet cleft to kiss her slightly protruding hipbones and sexy lower stomach. Just for the fun of it, he dug his nimble tongue into her adorable navel, spearing it in and out, mimicking what he would later do to a body part just a little farther south. He always loved the reaction this brought out of her, Adrienne’s laughter filling his ears during this intimate moment. He had no idea why that spot was so ticklish but he chuckled along with her. Anything that brought her happiness was fine by him.

He could tell she was tired of all the teasing. She’d thank him afterwards, he was sure of that.

Nick progressed further up her torso, deeply kissing the top of her stomach, ribs and sternum. Soon his face was in between her exquisite breasts. So round and full, topped off with the most perfect pale pink nipples. They looked totally edible. Nick enveloped his lips around one and pulled on it gently with his teeth. A slow, deep moan emanated from Adrienne’s hitched breath. He licked around the tender nipple and sucked as much of her breast inside his mouth as he could. One hand went to fondle her overlooked but not forgotten breast. Once he was satisfied, he extracted that sumptuous globe from his mouth in favor of the abandoned one.

Adrienne laced her fingers through his hair and pressed him to move lower on her body. He decided to finally appease her wishes, reluctantly taking the nipple out of his greedy mouth. Before going down, his eyes went to her face, seeing the faintest of blushes across her cheeks. Her face was utterly gorgeous is such as state.

Nick could feel the heat emanating from her sex, below his stomach as he maneuvered himself back to his knees on the floor. Adrienne knew where his mouth was going but still gasped at the sensation of his lips finally touching her aching center. First, he tentatively kissed her engorged labia, just like he would with the set of lips on her face. Then he started to lick the entire length of her dripping wet slit. He kept doing that until his hunger grew. Adrienne’s feminine sent was driving him wild. He spread her legs wider and threw them over is shoulders. He backed away long enough to lovingly stare at the beautifully lewd, extremely pornographic sight before him. Her glorious sex spread out for his viewing pleasure. It looked like candy, glistening pink and open for ravishment. He placed his hand on top of her mound, brushing the soft pubic hair on top. There wasn’t much of it; just enough to let him know that he was with a real woman.

Usually he preferred that woman be completely bare in that area but there was something so sexy about that lovely sprinkling of fur that spurred him kiss and lightly tug on it with his teeth.

Adrienne let out a deafening moan and her fingers went to Nick’s hair, forcing his face even lower. He chuckled to himself and before he could oblige her desire; he wanted to feel those delectable brown curls on his face so he rubbed his nose and cheek across her mound. He was like a cat brushing up against his owner. Her hair felt wonderful against the sensitive skin on his face.

Finally, he placed a soft peck on her mound and turned his attention to the oozing core right below it. With two fingers, he split her lips open and marveled at the stunning pink interior. The gorgeous sight drove him mad with lust and he ended up plunging his tongue deep inside her creamy opening, tasting her delicious juices. He moaned into her flesh, loving her flavor, savoring this incredibly intimate moment. He lapped at her like a savage, thirsty animal. Never had he tasted a more delectable woman. So sweet and slightly salty. 

There were few things he loved more than orally serving a woman. It was one of the only things that actually made him loose control. In a way, being on his knees with his head shoved between a woman’s thighs was therapeutic, the best kind of submission. Some might have called it a fetish… and they would have been right. Whatever it was called, Nick didn’t care. He loved pleasing a woman this way; all his senses were awakened with just a flick of a tongue.

Adrienne was clearly enjoying that strong tongue of his, thrusting her hips into him, and crying out her pleasure. To guarantee the safety of his teeth, he held on to her thighs, which was no easy task with the way she was writhing and jerking around. Nick managed to keep her secure for a little while. Continuing his tasty exploration, he dragged his tongue between her sweet, parted lips. She was getting wetter by the second; he could taste that heady arousal. His mouth was filled with her tangy nectar and he eagerly sucked it down as if it were the source to his survival. 

His tongue and lips next found the swollen pearl of her clitoris, clasping his lips around it and sucking with just the right amount of pressure from what he could tell. Adrienne responded with a boisterous scream.

“Oh God, Nick! Make me come! Fuck me with your tongue and make me come in your mouth!” She wasn’t asking him to bring her off, she was _commanding_ him.

The desperation in her voice all but sent him into a feverish frenzy. His cock was uncomfortably hard underneath his towel, leaking onto the floor. His sole mission at that point was to bring this woman to ecstasy. Continuing to suck on her, he forcefully pushed his fingers inside her, stroking them hard against her most sensitive spot. She screamed again, her internal muscles clenching tightly around dexterous fingers. She began to kick her legs as if to escape the overwhelming pleasure but he wouldn’t let her go. He kept his mouth on her until she stiffened and shouted out loud. Adrienne was without a doubt the most vocal woman he’s ever been with. Nick loved the way she let her inhibitions go and just let her emotions take over.

He greedily slurped up the silky fluid spilling out of her, making the most ungentlemanly of noises in the process until she begged him to stop. He honored her wishes after making her come twice more and carefully removed his fingers out of her, sucking them dry as well. Still hungry for her taste, Nick decided to lick the delightful wetness off her thighs.

When Adrienne recovered from her brutal orgasms, Nick kissed his way back up her body and claimed her mouth. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and kissed him forcibly and rough. Then she caught him further by surprise, pushing him off her and flat on his back against the bed with her sitting right on his crotch. She yanked the towel off him so she could feel the smooth skin of his hardened erection. She rubbed her soaking quim against his shaft, drenching it with her sticky wetness.

He groaned and almost begged Adrienne to slip his cock inside but she wanted to tease him before the main event. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he clutched his manhood and tried to guide it into Adrienne’s warmth but she thwarted his attempt. Shaking her head in mock disappointment, she slapped his hand away from his cock and started to stroke him roughly with her own hand before impaling herself on his shaft.

They moaned loudly together. The way her velvety walls conformed around him felt absolutely heavenly, better than anything he’s ever experienced. His hands went around her waist but she pushed them away and held them firmly over his head.

“Keep your hands where they are. Don’t move them or I’ll stop. I’m about to fuck you harder than you’ve even been fucked before,” she announced boldly with this astonishingly seductive look on her face.

 Adrienne was the perfect mix of beguiling innocence and irresistible sex appeal. Nick’s eyes expanded dramatically at her tone of voice. Her words excited him so much. All he could do was smile and nod facetiously as she proceeded to do exactly what she promised.

She was like a woman processed, grinding on top of him, moving up and down until she was bored with her current position. Feeling adventurous, she pulled her legs up from behind her and placed her feet on either side of his chest, flat on the mattress. With her hands on his knees, she thrust her hips frantically and sunk herself deeper onto his stiff erection.

Nick was graced with the most erotic view. Looking down, he could see the full length of his manhood disappear into Adrienne’s glistening pink flesh. Her breasts bounced with her movements, he reached oved and grabbed them, caressing them softly as she worked his body over. N           ick’s hands were free to go wherever they wanted.

It took all his self-control not to come immediately. His shaft throbbed painfully, seeking release. He gasped noisily as Adrienne’s muscles gripped him in a tight embrace. For a moment, he gazed up at Adrienne’s flushed face. She wanted sweet release just as much as he did. Nick could tell exactly when she was about to explode, the sound of her moans increasing were a dead giveaway. He thrust his own hips forward to meet her downward motions and brought his hand to her sex, stroking furiously on her clitoris. That earned a drawn out gasp from her lips. Within seconds of Nick touching her, Adrienne trembled violently on top of him and screamed out his name in orgasmic bliss. Sensing he could finally let go, Nick cried out with her. Their noises were in perfect sync. He came forcefully inside her, splashing her walls with his seed.

Adrienne looked down at Nick and smiled before slumping over him, her head on his chest and letting exhaustion take over. He stroked her hair, feeling the softness glide over his fingers. After a short moment, she lifted her head and frowned at him.

“What’s the matter?” He asked with a nervous expression.

“Look at me, I’m sticky and sweaty. Now I have to take another bath.”

 Giving him a soft smack on the chest out of annoyance, Adrienne hopped off the bed and went towards the bathroom again. Near the doorway she turned around and said with a smile, “Join me?”

Without answering, Nick simply leaped out of bed and ran after her.

\----------

After a second, equally rousing bath. The couple dried off and got dressed. Hearing the doorbell ring, Nick quickly went down stairs, tucking his shirt in along the way. He opened the door to find a package delivery man holding a mysterious box. Signing for the package then thanking the man, he took the box inside. It dawned on him what could be inside. The label on the side revealed that it was sent from Las Vegas. He opened the box in the living room and the contents inside were exactly what he thought. There were videotapes inside but not just any tapes. He requested them a while back and they were here at last. The tapes were video surveillance from the day he and Adrienne got married and from various locations: the bar where they allegedly met, the wedding chapel they were married in and hotel footage.

These tapes were the key to shinning a light on that day’s events.

Adrienne was now lying across the sofa reading a magazine in leisure. Nick walked over with videos in hand, anxiously wondering if she’d like to view them.

“Adrienne, I have something very important to show you.” His voice trembled. He was much more nervous than he thought. She could automatically sense his apprehension.

“What is it?” She gave him a reassuring half-smile while putting a gentle hand on his shoulder as he took a seat next to her.

“I didn’t tell you this before but I had some tapes sent here from Las Vegas.”

She raised an eyebrow in question and shook her head slightly.

He hesitated and then went on, “It’s video footage from all the places we were at when we got married.”

From the expression on her face, he couldn’t tell what she was feeling. She was stoic and almost completely void of emotion. Then she smiled softly at him. “Can we watch them?”

“Absolutely.” He smiled back and put his thumb to her chin.

He got up and put the first tape into the VCR and pressed play. He sat back down with Adrienne and held her hand as the video started.

The two of them stared intently at the television screen. Nick fast-forwarded until he found the interesting parts. There, in black and white, with surprisingly good quality despite being shot from surveillance cameras, was the scene where it all began.

 


	18. Tubthumping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They drink a Whiskey drink, They drink a Vodka drink  
> They drink a Lager drink, They drink a Cider drink...

 

August 7, 1997, Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Adrienne Emerson burst through the doors of the local casino with one purpose and one purpose only: to get more drunk than any person has ever gotten in the entire world. Without dying of course. The casino had to have a really nice bar she figured.

 She was beyond irritated. Stranded alone in Sin City without so much as knowing a single person in the area. It was a spur of the moment decision, a late graduation and birthday present to herself. She just wanted to do something wild for once, completely unexpected and out of character for her. What better way to do that then to go to Las Vegas?

Despite having her roommate cancel going with her at the last minute, Adrienne wasn’t going to let that deter her. Or so she thought.

When Adrienne landed in Vegas, she began to realize how lonely it would be. Her mood was dampened immediately.

After going straight to her hotel room and shoving all her luggage in a closet, she strolled over to the casino, knowing there had to be a bar inside. Conveniently, it was situated just across the street from the beautifully posh hotel that she could barely afford.

This was all so new to her, the whole casino and gambling thing. But she wasn’t there to lose all her money; she was there to get _wasted._ Adrienne looked at her surroundings, noting that the place was elegant in atmosphere and look. She was out of place as usual. Everyone around her was dressed to the nines and spending lavishly… as well as losing big. Looking down at her less than fashionable attire, she was thankful that for some reason the casino had no dress code.

Searching the building for the bar, Adrienne found it with great relief. She sat at a table and waited for someone to take her drink order. With little patience, she decided to take a seat by the bar table itself in order to get faster service. The male bartender saw Adrienne and flashed a grin at her.

“What can I get you there, beautiful?” The rather attractive man behind the bar asked, never letting his eyes off Adrienne.

_Yeah right_. She rolled her eyes but smiled courteously. “Oh, I don’t know. Drunk maybe?”

The bartender laughed. “I can do that! Anything in mind that can get you there?”

Adrienne wasn’t much of a drinker, so she wasn’t very familiar with alcohol in any way whatsoever. She was more of a social drinker, to be honest; she wasn’t the biggest fan of alcohol. But today, she’d count this as a special occasion on account that she’s depressed and lonely… even though she lied to herself to make her think that she was actually going to have a good time. Adrienne pondered the bartender’s question but didn’t have an immediate answer. She didn’t need one though.

“You look like a Stoli kind of girl to me.” He suggested with that arrogant grin of his.

Adrienne shrugged and went with his expertise. “You’re the expert, Mr. Alcohol Man. Stoli it is!”

 She had no idea what she was ordering but when the guy came back with a glass and a huge bottle of Russia’s finest Stolichnaya vodka, she decided to go ahead and try it. The bartender poured her a healthy drink and went to take the bottle away but Adrienne stopped him.

“I think you can leave the bottle,” she said, yanking it from his hand.

She thought the man would leave but he just stood there, staring with predator-like eyes. This made Adrienne slightly uncomfortable. She was there to get wasted and forget about her problems, not to get laid…

He flirted openly with her, but Adrienne wasn’t paying much attention, respectfully nodding with the fakest of smiles plastered on her annoyed face. When she couldn’t fathom another minute talking to this unnamed bartender, she opened her mouth to tell him off but before she could, a group of rowdy, well-dressed patrons came into the bar area demanding to be served right away. Seeing an opportunity to make a load of money on tips, the bartender quickly abandoned his conversation with Adrienne. Much to her relief. 

Now she was free to drink her vodka in peace. She took her first sip of the strong elixir and recoiled at the taste. It was dreadful! Adrienne mumbled to herself out of irritation as she held her breath and drank the rest of it. After that hefty assault on her taste buds, she gathered her wits and poured another glass. Her purpose was, after all, to drink herself silly. She didn’t drink enough in her life to know how much it would take to get her to a state where she’d forget about her terrible loneliness. So she tested her limits to find out.

About an hour passed and Adrienne was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, but she still had her mental faculties in order…sort of.

She only drank a quarter of the bottle of Stoli but it was very potent. She wanted to get drunk but she also needed to pace herself if she didn’t want to end up in the hospital as another one of those cautionary tales. A friend of hers told her that if a person could still remember their date of birth while drinking heavily, then they’d be okay to continue.

_July 30, 1976. July 30, 1976. July 30, 1976._ Adrienne repeated this to herself, naively taking advice from her ridiculous friend. Feeling she was fine, she ditched the glass and drank straight from bottle, as undignified as it was. The bar was nearly empty now, as was the casino oddly enough. She looked at her watch; it was well past late night Adrienne was starting to feel like one of those pathetic people she saw on television that spent their nights nursing a glass of whisky or whatever and reflected on how the universe fucked them over.

She put the Stoli down and placed it beside her, embarrassment washing over her. But then it turned to anger. Adrienne had every right to let go and run wild for at least one night, she dutifully justified that and drank straight from the bottle once again.

Another hour passed and the bottle was less than half empty. Adrienne was officially drunk. A little dizzy, but not to the point where she was starting to see two of everything. Leaving her vodka alone and appreciating the acquired taste still in her mouth, she looked around the place. It was pretty much deserted. Even the annoying yet extremely attractive bartender was out. Absolutely no one to be accounted for except Adrienne … and one other person.

She saw a man with his own bottle of vodka, though _he_ still had enough self-respect to drink from a glass. Adrienne hadn’t seen him come in, sit down, or even order his drink. She was so engrossed in her own inner turmoil; she basically shut the world out that night. The man was a little far away and Adrienne could only make out the profile of his face from one angle.

 And what an exquisite profile it was. So beautiful and strong, slightly effeminate, with this regal haughtiness that demanded presence. His hair was blonde, dark at the roots and kind of messy in a sexy way.  The man reminded her of someone she really respected and adored… but that couldn’t possibly be him…

Adrienne was still “sober” enough to know that her mind might be playing tricks on her. That didn’t stop her form admiring this handsome stranger from across the room.

Finally the man turned ever so slightly to his right, allowing Adrienne the front view of his glorious face. Now she knew her mind wasn’t making a fool out of her. Adrienne would know that man any time and any place.

_It’s him! It’s really him!_

It was Nick Rhodes.

Drunk or not, she knew it was him. She’d never been so excited in her life, seeing the man she has idolized since she was a young girl right in front of her. Her heart rate increased and she almost couldn’t control her breathing. Gaining some measure of composure, Adrienne tried to make it seem like she wasn’t a brazen fan girl fawning over this fine gentleman. She tried to look cool… didn’t work very well. Thankfully, Nick wasn’t looking directly at her or he would’ve seen a hyperventilating young woman.

Adrienne took a deep breath and began to relax. The moment she did, Nick happened to glance right at her. That’s when panic set in once again. If she weren’t so full of liquid courage, Adrienne would have looked the other way and pretended not to see him. Instead of doing that, she smiled at him, with her heart beating faster than it’s ever had. He took a sip of his beverage, actually, more like a giant gulp and smiled back.

Somehow, Adrienne’s stress and nervousness vanished in an instant. Nick’s smile could help a person forget about their fears. So, feeling confident and uninhibited for once, she did the unthinkable and walked over to where Nick was and took a seat next to him. At this point in her mission to get drunk, she was already there, in fact, she was probably more alcohol than human at this point.

She could no longer remember her own birthday.

Adrienne held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Adrienne.” Her speech was very slurry, but she couldn’t tell in her state of mind. She was _much_ more intoxicated than she originally thought.

Nick took her hand into his. “Good to meet you. I’m Nick.” Adrienne wasn’t aware of it but Nick was already on his second bottle of Stoli and was just about as inebriated as she was. Probably even more so. His speech was impeccable though. He knew how to hold on to his liquor as opposed to some people.

“Yeah, I totally know who you are, Nick Rhodes,” Adrienne said with a tipsy giggle and hiccup. She abruptly slapped a palm against her mouth out of embarrassment.

Nick thought that was cute apparently because he laughed slightly and offered her a drink. That was the last thing she needed but she accepted it anyway. She tried to look ladylike in front of this beautifully elegant man, so she took tiny little sips. They didn’t talk much, just stared at each other, drinking casually.

About a half hour later, things changed rather drastically. With Nick’s second bottle of vodka now empty, both he and Adrienne were at a level of intoxication that very few people can possibly relate to. What started off as quiet, polite conversation, turned into the disgruntled pity party of the decade. The next thirty minutes consisted of drunken ramblings between two lonely souls. It was miserable.

Their vulnerable state of mind made it easy for them to divulge their innermost thoughts and secrets to each other. And they didn’t even know each other! Nick talked on and on about his failed marriage and most recent break-up, while Adrienne complained about her own terrible relationships and loneliness.

It was difficult to get them to stop.

\----------

“So she didn’t want to get married and just left me. I gave her everything she ever wanted. I gave her my heart and she ripped it apart!” Nick yelled loudly, recalling his break-up with Madeleine. He tended to be noisy when he had a lot to drink…. obviously.

Adrienne sat there and listened to him, stupidly nodding her head as if she actually understood what he went through. She put her hand to his arm out of sympathy and leaned forward.

“You’ll get over it. There are millions of other woman that would just kill to be with you, Nick.”

“Really? Would you be one of those women?” He sounded interested, if not a little hopeful.

If she was sober, Adrienne would have blushed at such a question. Without pausing she announced, “Definitely! I’ve had a crush on you for like… ever!”

Nick’s face seemed to perk up at that genuine answer. “Well, I’ve had a crush on you since I first saw you sitting across the bar.” He whispered to her as if to keep a secret. 

Adrienne’s cheeks flushed bright pink now. “You Have?”

“Absolutely, I was trying to work up the nerve to talk to you. But you solved that by coming over here.”

She smiled gleefully and out of excitement, she poured herself another drink, chugging it fast. Nick did the same thing.

“Nick, you should do something crazy to get your mind off things.”

Looking extremely light-headed, he nodded in agreement, though he wasn’t in any position to agree to anything. “Yeah, your right! And I know exactly what I’m going to do,” he proclaimed as he guzzled the remains of his Stoli.

“What?”

“We’re getting married! Right now!”

Though Adrienne found it difficult to keep her eyelids open all the way, her eyes instantly bulged at Nick’s suggestion. She didn’t give it any thought with the way her head was working at the moment. “Okay!”

She hopped off her bar stool and asked, “Uh, shouldn’t you propose to me or something?”

Nick frowned apologetically. “Oh, now where are my manners? I’m so sorry.” He cleared his throat for emphasis and got down on one knee. “Adrienne… what’s your sir name again?

“Emerson.”

“Ah, right! Okay. Adrienne Emerson, will you marry me?”

“You bet your sweet ass I will!”

After that, the two “love birds” bolted out of that casino and began to search the streets for a 24-hour wedding chapel. It wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be but they finally found a place. The bright neon lights and tacky décor just screamed for them to get married there.

Fifteen minutes later, after a rather lackadaisical and clumsy wedding service, Nick and Adrienne were officially married with a certificate to prove the union. They stumbled out of the chapel, Adrienne wearing a short veil and carrying a fake bouquet of flowers curtesy of the chapel. She quickly disposed of them the first chance she got.

Their hotel was a bit out of the way so they staggered across the city to locate it. The ostentatious lights of the region were jarring to the eyes of the inebriated couple and the atmosphere provided another level to their misjudgment.

“Nick, I think I’m drunk.” Adrienne finally acknowledged once they made it to the hotel.

“I think I am too,” he said with a dizzy chuckle.

“I don’t care. I love being drunk. I want to stay drunk FOREVER!”

The two of them entered the hotel entrance and then to Nick’s room, where they held on to each other to keep from falling over. Once inside, they proceeded to… well… consummate their marriage.

\--------

When Nick turned off the television after watching the final video with Adrienne, the couple turned to each other with shame and minor amusement across their faces and left the room without a word. They really needed space from one another to process what they had just seen and remembered.

 Nick went to the kitchen and Adrienne went outside for some desperately needed fresh air. She sat on the bottom step of the small stairway that led to the front door.

 After all that wondering, she finally knew what happened and the events that brought them together.

It was humiliating to recount everything like that but at least it was out in the open. Those surveillance videos brought back her memory in a way that she never could have expected. 

She stayed outside for about fifteen minutes, staring blankly at the street in an almost catatonic-like fashion. Adrienne was in shock actually, it was like an entire playback of recollection steaming through her consciousness. She even remembered the part where she and Nick slept together the first time. It was very awkward and unfulfilling, certainly not like the way it was now.

There were many things that could have happened if the two of them just remained sober, Adrienne knew that. If those occurrences wouldn’t have taken place, Nick and Adrienne would still be single. Neither of them would have met probably. She wouldn’t have changed a thing if that were the case. She loved that man with all her heart, which was scary because she’s never been in love before.

 Adrienne was used to rejection so love was never an option. It started when her father left home when she was fourteen. When someone is supposed to be emotionally programmed to love another human being but then they leave forever, it’s traumatizing and scars a person for life. That’s how Adrienne’s less than perfect relationships came about. Not only did she choose the worst kind of men to date, but she had trouble opening up.

Marrying Nick changed her view about love completely. Marrying him changed _her_ completely.  He helped strengthen her confidence, something she always had issues with. Nick made her feel like no one else could… important. It was time to express her feelings to him.

She heard the door open and saw Nick come out. They smiled sweetly at each other and he sat by her. He was quiet for a bit but then gradually started to get chattier. Just the way Adrienne liked him.  Now was a good a time as any to confess. Adrienne put her head on Nick’s shoulder and put her heart on the line.

“Nick, I don’t regret what we did that night. Marrying you was the best decision I’ve ever made.” She exhaled sharply before saying those terrifying words, “I love you.”

 

 


	19. Truly Madly Deeply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'll be her dream, He'll be her wish, He'll be her fantasy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go.

 

It had been a couple of days since Adrienne’s declaration of love. As much as Nick wanted to reciprocate that devotion, he just couldn’t bring himself to say it back. Those three seemingly innocent words have always gotten him into a world of trouble. There was no doubt that he loved Adrienne with a passion and now he knew that she loved him back. But love had brought Nick nothing but grief as ironic as that was. Nick has been in love before, several times, therefore he knows the feeling all too well. Unfortunately, he also knew the feeling of complete and utter heartache. He didn’t want to go through that path again. He couldn’t fathom such misery all over again.

That fear of his was keeping him away from the one person he was truly in love with.

Nick was rendered speechless when Adrienne professed her love for him. She sounded so genuine and looked absolutely terrified, but somehow she had the courage to reveal such a nerve-racking emotion.

And yet he said nothing in return, his mouth parted but nothing spilled out. It was awkward to say the least. He saw the look in her eyes, a look of devastation and humiliation. She searched for an answer she didn’t get and promptly left him alone to go back into the house after that, finding no reason to stay. Nick felt terrible and cowardly for making her think he didn’t love her.

Adrienne hadn’t talked to him in two days; she moved her things into the guest bedroom and locked herself in, she didn’t explain why she did that but Nick already knew. She couldn’t even look at him. Nick could have sworn he heard her sobbing at night. It broke his heart. She only left the room to eat, he was at least thankful that she wasn’t starving herself. Whenever he would try to talk to her, she would completely ignore him and turn her attention to Tatjana, who was completely confused with everything going on.

Nick had to make things right. He had to do some serious soul-searching.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Tatjana asked her father as he walked her home from school.

He looked at her and smiled despite his inner turmoil. “Nothing’s wrong, love. Why would there be?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not dim-witted. Adrienne’s been moping around in her room and you now have a permanent frown on your forehead. What’s going on?”

He signed, knowing exactly where his daughter got that inquisitive nature from. “The problem is that… I need advice on a particular matter. I can’t fix it myself.”

“Fix what?”

When they got to the front of their house, Nick looked at Tatjana straight in the eyes and rubbed her head playfully. “The way my head’s working at the moment.”

She looked a little perplexed but let the matter slide. Tatjana smiled at him,” Anything I can do to help? A lobotomy perhaps?”

“I’ll let you know, darling,” Nick laughed. His daughter went inside the house as he stayed outside. She waited for him with the door open but he told her to go on without him. Nick lingered for a bit before deciding to go for a walk, something he would do when he wanted to forget about the world and focus on just one problem. He would usually write music or play the keyboard to pass the time, but he needed to get out of that house.  His legs had a mind of their own while his mind was in a different place. All he could think about was Adrienne.

The way he made her feel was exactly the way he used to feel; disheartened and wretched. He didn’t mean to do that. It was almost physically painful to not say those words to her, watching her face fall in agony. They were on the tip of his tongue yet they were not to be said.

Amazing how far they’ve come in little over a month. He wasn’t searching for love; in fact, he was trying to forget about it altogether. The universe had a different idea in mind. The universe thrusted him into this unexpected marriage and in the end it restored his faith in love.

Nick looked at his watch, noting how far he walked without even realizing it, the sun was still out. How he dreaded the thought of going back home and having Adrienne ignore his existence once again. He looked at the area he was in. Somehow he walked far enough to be near Simon’s home. Since he was so close, Nick decided to pay his dear mate a visit.

After moving just a short block, he made it to the Le Bon residence and rang the cheery doorbell. Nick heard talking coming from the house and watched as the door opened.  A little girl opened the door.

“Saffy! How are you doing, my love?” To Nick’s surprise, Simon’s daughter jumped in his arms and held him close.

“I’m fine, Nicky.” He kissed the young child on the cheek and set her down.

He heard Yasmin from the back of the house. “Saffron, how many times do I have to tell you, don’t answer the door while I’m not around!?” She ran to the front door but saw that there wasn’t a stranger in the corridor. Yasmin smiled in relief. “Hello, Nick. What are you doing here?”

Nick shrugged his shoulders; he didn’t even know why he was there. “I was just in the neighborhood.”

“Where’s your car or did you take a taxi?”

“I walked actually.”

She looked at him oddly. “That’s an awful long way to go if you’re just passing by. My, where are my manners? Come in and have a seat.”

Yasmin invited him inside and had him sit in the formal living area. It was high tea time so she offered Nick some warm black tea. There was a commotion in another room and Yasmin was right on it, it wasn’t easy handling three young little girls but she managed. Technically it was as if she had four children, her husband being the largest of course. She came back in to the living room with her arms separating Amber and Saffron, while tiny Tallulah ran around her in circles.

Nick tried to stifle a laugh and helped the poor mother by grabbing the smallest child and holding her tightly. He missed the way Tatjana would run around the house in a frenzy. He ruffled the little girl’s hair and kissed her on the nose. “How’s it going, Tally?”

“Not bad. Could be better though.” This made Nick laugh hard. Suddenly he was glad he came over.

“Now what’s the commotion in here?” Simon bellowed from the kitchen and came into the room to find his children wresting with their mother. Nick walked over to him, child in hand and handed Tallulah to him.

“I think this belongs to you.” Nick said. Simon grabbed his daughter and started tickling her.

Through her laughter, Simon turned to his wife and older daughters and said in sweet voice, “Amber, Saffron, would you please go to your rooms so the adults can have a conversation?”

As if a switch went off, the two left the living area to go upstairs, as did Tallulah when he gave her a pleading smile.

“So they listen to you but not me, huh?” Yasmin laughed with slight irritation.

“What can I say, I have a gift I guess.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a peck on the forehead.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” She said and escaped the clutches of her handsy husband.

Simon turned to Nick and asked,” so what brings you to my neck of the woods, mate?”

“Oh, just passing by.” He said without looking at Simon.

Simon wasn’t buying it, surely. “Come on now. What other reason could there be for you to be here on a weekday unannounced unless you had a problem?”

“Can we talk privately for just a moment?”

Simon smiled, knowing his intuition was right on the money. “Of course.”

They went into the study upstairs, away from rambunctious little girls and an overworked mother. Nick sat in front of Simon in an antique chair. This felt like a therapy session for him, though he never felt the need to go to a therapist, not even during his divorce. He wasn’t going to pay some stranger to criticize and judge him about things he already knew were wrong with him.

No, he’d much rather have Simon do it for him. Simon took a seat next to him and the expression on his face told Nick to start spilling information.

Therapy session indeed.

“Adrienne told me she loved me.”

“And what’s the problem? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It’s great. It’s fantastic. But I don’t know…I can’t say it back.”

“Why not, don’t you feel the same way? Because I remember you telling me you had strong feelings for her.”

“I feel the same way, but the words won’t physically come out.” Nick felt like ripping his hair out, root by root. He made things so complicated for himself, and sometimes it wasn’t even his fault, just weird mental programming to blame. “I mean, I really love her. There’s nothing I don’t love about her, but for some reason, I just can’t admit that to her.”

Simon kept nodding, staying quiet wasn’t very easy, be he managed to do so while his best friend talked.

“It’s like every time I tell a woman I love her, it backfires eventually. They never stay, once they’ve had their fun, they leave and I die a little inside.” Nick was almost on the verge of tears coming to that realization. He wasn’t good a being vulnerable, it was an odd feeling to him. Simon knew that too, he reached over and put an arm over his long-time friend.

“Nick, you’re not the problem. The world wasn’t made for you to be the only one with relationship problems. Adrienne isn’t one of those women who just use a man to get what they want. At least, she doesn’t seem that way.”

“She’s not.” Nick said, almost defensively. Adrienne never used him in any way; she had too much respect for him.

“Then she isn’t likely to leave you after she’s had a thrill.” Simon’s eyes pleaded for him to hear this out. He didn’t want Nick to make a big mistake and let Adrienne go but also wanted Nick to come to his own conclusions. “I know it isn’t easy to let your guard down and jump into love or whatever it is you feel for her but sometimes you have to trust those emotions.”

Nick sat motionless, silently pondering Simon’s assessment. He didn’t say anything. A list of scenarios were playing through his consciousness: one where he leaves Adrienne forever and ends up lonely and depressed for the rest of his life. The other scenario is that he stays with Adrienne forever… and he’s happy for once.

That scenario was beautiful, everything he imagined life should be. He knew what he had to do.

“I have to go now.” He looked at Simon’s face, expressive with that big grin of his. Nick abruptly left his chair, stopping before going through the doorway. “Thank you for listening, Simon.”

Simon shrugged, “That’s what I’m here for, mate. Simon Le Bon: Unlikely Voice of Reason at your service.”

Nick chuckled and hurried out the door, waving goodbye to Simon. When he made it out of the house, all he wanted was to run back home and tell Adrienne everything she made him feel. He could have called a cab, but he was desperate not to wait another second.  He looked like a madman running about through the city but he didn’t care, he wanted to get Adrienne.

Nick made just one stop along the way. To a jewelry store.

Finally, after twenty minutes of advanced cardio, Nick made it back to his home. He panted as went through the entrance and ran again up the flight of stairs, right past his daughter doing homework with her nanny.

“Everything alright, Daddy?” She asked without looking up from her book.

“Everything’s great, dear!” He said without halting his pace. Nick took out the key to the guest bedroom and opened the door in a hurry. He hadn’t used it before for the sake of Adrienne’s privacy but he needed to talk to her immediately.

He saw her sitting on the edge of her bed with her head down. “What do you want?”

Nick rushed over to her and held her face in his hands. He saw her red, tear-stained eyes peer into his. He severely hurt this girl’s spirit.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He hugged her and held her close. “I never meant to hurt you like this. I love you so much.”

Nick watched as tears streamed down her face, he tried to wipe them all away but they wouldn’t cease. He’d never seen her that way before, granted, they didn’t know each other long but he wasn’t used to seeing her cry like that. She was usually so lively.  “Say something, love. Anything.” Unbeknownst to him, his own tears started falling, he didn’t feel them, and they just escaped. He didn’t care.

Adrienne cried in his arms for what seemed the longest time. “Nick, I’m pregnant.” She looked at his facial expression and showed him a pregnancy test labeled positive. She was searching for some sort of meaningful reaction. She was probably waiting for his head to explode.

 But he smiled sweetly at her and said, “I love you, Adrienne.” Nick brought his lips to hers and kissed her gently. That calmed her nerves.

He lifted her shirt and placed his hand upon her stomach. “And I’ll love whoever this will be.” Adrienne reached over and brushed Nick’s tears away. She kept his hand on her stomach with her own.

“Me too.”

Nick went down on his knees and held Adrienne’s quivering hands.  “Adrienne Elyse Emerson, would you do me the honor of marring me… again?”

Adrienne giggled, she still had tears in her eyes but this time they were happy tears. “Yes, Nicholas James Bates. I will marry you.” Nick reached into his pocket and retrieved a small jewelry box. He opened it and inside there was a rather impressive and flashy engagement ring. He slipped it on Adrienne’s finger and she marveled at its beauty.  

“Are you ready to become Mrs. Rhodes?”

She smirked at him. “Oh, I was born ready.” She grabbed him by the face and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Nick heard footsteps coming up the stairs and saw his daughter peering outside their door.

“What’s going on?” Tatjana asked with alarm. Nick and Adrienne looked at her, beaming with pride, and both pointed at Adrienne’s engagement ring.

In unison, they both cried out, “We’re getting married!”

 

 


	20. Breath After Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End.

 

Adrienne stood nervously outside the entrance of her childhood house, waiting for someone to answer the door. She was back in Colorado, traveling ten hours just to talk to her mother about recent events… and to confess about her five week marriage to Nick.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Dana opened the door, shocked to see her daughter on the other end.

“Adrienne, what are you doing here?!?” She went and threw her arms around Adrienne, kissing her on the cheek multiple times. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? God, I missed you so much.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Mom,” she laughed as she withstood the barrage of attention her mother bestowed upon her. “I came here to surprise you.”

Dana invited her inside, asking all sorts of questions that Adrienne could barely answer.

 She and Nick made an agreement, he would stay in England and tell everybody there that they’ve been married for the past five weeks, while she would fly to Colorado and tell her own family. This was the kind of news that they thought should be done separately and alone, though Nick and Adrienne didn’t feel all that great about being apart, especially now that Adrienne was pregnant and whatnot.

 So many events have happened in so little time. She wondered how she would break it to her poor, unsuspecting mother.

They sat in the kitchen dining area, talking about various things, until the topic of Adrienne’s “boyfriend” came to light.

“So, where’s Nick? You guys didn’t break up, did you?” Dana asked, jumping to conclusions. This disheartened Adrienne, the fact that her own mother had very little faith in her ability to keep and maintain a relationship.

Adrienne politely decided not to roll her eyes and replied, “No, Mom. We’re still together… there’s something I need to talk to you about, though.”

The lies and deceit couldn’t go on any longer. If she and Nick wanted to have a life together, it would have to involve complete honesty

“What is it, Adrienne?” Dana asked attentively with concern.

Adrienne paused for a moment, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn’t ruin her entire relationship with her mother.

But before she could open her mouth to speak, her mother gasped and gestured to Adrienne’s left ring finger.

“Oh my God! Is that what I think it is?”

Adrienne meant to hide her engagement ring but it was noticeable from all angles no matter how hard she tried.

“Um… yes. That’s my engagement ring alright.” She chuckled awkwardly as her mother made such a fuss over it.

“It’s gorgeous! This diamond’s as big as my eyeball, Adrienne!” Dana grabbed Adrienne’s hand for a better look. “I can’t believe you’re getting married, sweetheart.”

It was now or never, she had to tell her.

“Actually… I’m already married.”

Dana released her hold on Adrienne and gave the most confused look anyone has ever given another person. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Maybe you should sit down for what I’m about to tell you.”

“I _am_ sitting down, Adrienne!”

“Oh right… and so am I,” Adrienne said nervously with a small laugh, anything to ameliorate tension.

She exhaled loudly, noting the blank stare her mother kept giving. With that, Adrienne had no choice but to talk and come clean. It was so much easier than she thought it would be. She could finally tell someone that she was married to the man of her dreams. When she was done explaining herself, Adrienne’s eyes slowly crept up to meet Dana’s.

Both mother and daughter were quiet for much longer than either intended. Adrienne waited for a response, silently hoping that she didn’t make a huge mistake by telling Dana about her marriage.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dana whispered, putting her hand on top of Adrienne’s. She didn’t look upset, or angry, or even disappointed. None of the above. Just shocked mainly.

“I don’t know. We were pretty embarrassed by this whole situation. Nick and I decided to keep it to ourselves until we found out what to do.”

“So you’re having another wedding?”

Adrienne laughed, “Yeah, one we can remember.”

Her mother smiled back. “I can’t believe this happening. I can’t believe you’re married. Is there something else I should know?”

Adrienne held her tongue for a minute. Well, since she already told Dana about the marriage, she might as well tell her about the pregnancy.

“I’m pregnant, Mom,” she blurted out, almost mindlessly.

Then there was more silence.

Dana’s mouth was parted slightly in disbelief. “It’s just bombshell after bombshell with you, isn’t it?”

“I’m so sorry! I really am. I know it’s a lot to take in and-”

Her explanation stopped as Dana placed a gentle hand to Adrienne’s mouth. “Adrienne, I love you more than anything. I’m so happy for you.”

Adrienne was utterly perplexed, but wasn’t about to ruin the moment by questioning it. “I thought you’d be mad or… something!”

“Well, I don’t appreciate being lied to and all that, but that’s life sometimes. I understand.”

“I think I’m doing the right thing. I’m in love with a man who adores me and showers me with affection. It really can’t get any better than that.” Adrienne tried to blink back tears. She’d never been so emotional in her entire life. Everything was changing and never once did she stop to think about it.

“I always thought that Quinn would get married before you did, honestly.” They stared at each other and broke into a fit of laughter.

In her head, Adrienne released a sigh of relief.

 

\---------

Nick sat patiently in his car, quietly complaining about being stuck in traffic on the way to the airport. Finally, the line started to move again and he hit the accelerator as much as he could.

 He was stressed out after having to tell his parents about the marriage. They weren’t very pleased with the news and had yet to talk to Nick about the matter any further. He hoped that they would be on speaking terms again one day.

 He also managed to tell his bandmates about the secret, receiving the response he anticipated and somewhat dreaded; astonishment and amusement.

At least _they_ weren’t mad at him.

Nick was almost to the airport when his mobile phone rang. It couldn’t be Adrienne; he was actually an hour early to pick her up. He answered the phone with a grumbled tone, “Hello?”

“What’s this I hear about you being married?”

“John?”

“Just answer the question.”

Nick groaned into the phone, “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. I just landed in London. I’m at Heathrow.”

“Well so am I,” Nick stated as he tried maneuvering into one of the many tight parking spaces near the airport.

“That was fast!” John laughed.

Nick chuckled back, “I’m picking up my wife. Look, I’ll talk to you when I find you.” He hung up the phone when John told him what gate to go to. John had come all the way from Los Angeles for a visit and as a way to forget about the finalization of his divorce. 

It’s not like Nick wasn’t familiar with that subject.

Nick made it inside and after searching, found John near the waiting area. It had been months since they even spoke on the phone, let alone seen each other. They’d let stress and work get in the way of their tight-knit friendship.

“Long time no see, eh?” John said as Nick made his way over. John dropped his bag and held his arms out wide open. Nick got the message quickly and hugged the taller man. John ruffled Nick’s hair playfully. “Didn’t your hair use to be orange?”

“Months ago. It’s good to see you again, mate. What brings you back?”

“I’ve been meaning to come back  for a while now and when Simon phoned me up and told me that you got married, I just hopped on the plane… and here I am, so start explaining!” John gave Nick a stern look and waited for a response. Nick just sighed dramatically and ran a hand through his recently mussed up hair.

 It was going to be one hell of an explanation.

He pretty much described every event that took place during his stay in Las Vegas, his marriage, and his new wife. When Nick finished, John looked like he was about burst into a laugh, his lip quivered in a way that made it obvious.

It was pretty hard for Nick not to notice. “Oh, go ahead and laugh! You know you want to!” Nick began laughing himself. And that was exactly what John did as well. They stood there near the gate, giggling like school children until tears streamed their eyes.

The two of them gathered their senses. “I can’t believe that _you_ of all people would do something like that, Nick.”  

“Yeah, that was out of character for me to say the least.” That was an understatement and he knew it.

“So, what does she look like?” John gave him a weary look, knowing full well that a drunken encounter can lead a person to make questionable choices in companions.  

Nick arched an eyebrow with a smirk, reading John’s mind in a sense. “You’ll meet her in a bit. She’s absolutely gorgeous, about six feet tall, brunette of course, blueish-gray eyes, and legs like you won’t believe. You’ll know her when you see her.”

“Where is she?”

“Her flight doesn’t come for another half hour. She’s from Colorado.”

“Ah, so another yank. Just remember what the last one did to you.” John was only partially serious. He was never too fond of Julie Anne and he made it known quite often.  

Nick put a hand to John’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Adrienne’s completely different, John. She’s not a cavalier, privileged girl that has had the world handed to her. She could care less about fame and money. She just wants to be my wife and the mother of my child.”

“She’s pregnant?!” John’s eyes widened in horror and Nick kind of wished he hadn’t sprung that news up at the moment.

Nick shook his head slowly in the affirmative.

“Nick, what the hell did you get yourself into?” John frowned at his best friend, more sorrowful then upset.  

“I’ll tell you what I got myself into. I got myself into a wonderful relationship and an even better marriage. A very sweet and beautiful young woman is love with me and I love her just as much. I didn’t expect to feel this way after a short amount of time, but I really do.”

John didn’t say anything. He put his arm around Nick’s shoulder and pulled him in close. Eventually he replied with, “whatever you say, Nick.”

Nick could tell John was a little worried for him; he was always like an older brother, looking out for Nick since childhood. They always had each other’s backs and that would never change.

“So am I going to meet her or not?” John asked.

“Of course!”

It was just about time for Adrienne to arrive, her flight gate was on the other side of the airport.  Nick lead the way as John followed. Adrienne’s plane came ahead of schedule and Nick was even more thankful that he was early.

 He hadn’t seen her for an entire week. A week without Adrienne was like a week without oxygen for him. Far too long.

Nick saw Adrienne, along with countless others emerging from the tunnel. She didn’t see him at first, until Nick yelled out her name. She looked over and her face broke into a wide grin. Then she ran over and basically lunged into him. Adrienne obviously missed him as well. She kissed him with exuberant ferocity and Nick happily reciprocated, completely forgetting John was right by him.

“So, I’m guessing that this is Adrienne.” John assumed, once the happily reunited couple finally settled down.

“And you would be correct, Nigel. This is my beautiful wife, Adrienne.” Nick motioned a hand in front of her, as if showcasing a grand prize. He turned to Adrienne again, “Adrienne, this is-”

“Oh, I know who the hell he is, Nick!” Without warning, she went over to John and gave him a big hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” John glanced over at Nick with a puzzled expression.

“I should have warned you that she likes to hug,” Nick explained.

“Do I look like I’m complaining?” John smiled deviously before lovingly embracing the young girl right back. “And what a pleasure it is to meet you!”

Nick didn’t like that very much and soon pried them both apart. “Okay, that’ll be quite enough of that!” He wrapped an arm around her waist and flashed a mock scowl in his best friend’s direction. “Remember, John, she’s happily married.”

John put his hands up in defense. “Okay, Okay!” He looked at Adrienne, “You wouldn’t happen to have a sis-”

“Not legal yet,” she interrupted.

“What a shame,” John mumbled to himself, thinking no one could hear.

After a great deal of interesting and casual conversation, the group went over to baggage claim to pick up John’s and Adrienne’s luggage. Both had very long flights back to England, they got very little sleep on the way over.

John was going to be in the city for several weeks, sorting through paperwork and talking to lawyers in order to finalize his divorce to Amanda. Nick was worried about him and the last thing he wanted was for his best friend to be alone during such a miserable time. Nick didn’t think twice before inviting John to stay over for those weeks. John accepted the offer, though hesitantly at first.

They made it home after escaping the traffic. Nick insisted that John make himself comfortable since he was going to stay at the house for quite a while. After John went upstairs to the one of the spare bedrooms, Nick went to the living area and tried to discuss the new guest arrangements he failed to mention to Adrienne at the airport. Before he could open his mouth, Adrienne knew exactly what was going to come out of it.

“Nick, I have no problem with John staying with us. He’s your best friend after all.” She reached out to him and rubbed her thumb along his chin.

Nick was appreciative that he had a wife that was so understanding. “Thank you. He really needs to be around friends during a time like this. I know I did.”

Adrienne smiled at him and leaned in for a kiss. “I missed you so much, Nick.”

“I missed you, too. I love you, Adrienne.” He cradled her face gently in his hands and kissed her softly. All Nick wanted was to take her upstairs and really show her how much he craved her touch. But he knew she was exhausted after that long flight.

“I love you, too,” Adrienne took a long, winded breath. Even tired, she was beautiful. She had this lovely, effervescent glow to her entire body. It was partly due to pregnancy, Nick was sure of that.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep. It’s been a long day,” Nick suggested, stroking Adrienne’s long hair.

She just nodded and chose not to argue.

 

\--------

Feeling recharged after much needed rest, Adrienne woke up to the sound of Nick breathing in his sleep. She checked the time and it was around seven in the morning.

 That’s the earliest she’s ever been up since high school.

 She glanced over at her husband sleeping peacefully. He looked so beautiful and serene. Angelic really. Adrienne couldn’t help but just gaze at him like he was an exquisite peace of artwork.

Her stirring in bed caused Nick to slowly open his eyes. She giggled softly at the adorable sight of his green eyes adjusting to the sunlight gleaming through their bedroom window.

“Good morning,” He said rather drowsily as he looked at the alarm clock. Nick also wasn’t used to being up this early.

 For some reason, he immediately sat up and eyed Adrienne up nervously. “What is it, darling? Is something wrong? How are you feeling? Is the baby alright?” Nick asked frantically with his eyes wide open.

Adrienne was confused, wondering what brought on that reaction. “Um, why would you think something was wrong?” She tried to ease his nerves by lying next to him, with her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating faster than normal.

“It’s just that you’re not normally awake this early,” he chuckled and stroked one side of her face.

She laughed, “I’m fine, Nick! Thank you for worrying though. Shows me how much you care.”

“Listen, Adrienne. You, Tatjana and Baby Nameless are the most important people in my life. Of course I care.”

“Baby Nameless?”

“That’s what we’re calling the baby, until we can find a proper name.”

Adrienne didn’t think she could love this man any more than she did at that very moment, it just wasn’t possible. This was the sweetest human being she’s ever met… and she was fortunate enough to be married to him. Their baby would also be lucky to have such loving parents. Nick already adored the baby and it wasn’t even born yet. Adrienne felt the tears streaming out of her eyes but quickly wiped them away, as to not worry Nick any further.

When her eyes were dry, she looked up at Nick and smiled gently.

Then without prompting, he effortlessly pinned her body against the bed. The look in his eyes meant only one thing. He was hungry for Adrienne, and she was more than happy to feed that hunger.

 She laid in bed, leisurely looking on as Nick unbuttoned her blouse and helped her remove it, then he undid the snap on her jeans. He lowered the zipper and pulled her pants off.  Adrienne was completely nude except for a flimsy pair of lacy panties, which Nick quickly discarded of. As he did that, Adrienne was urging him to remove his shirt. She hated being the first one to be naked all the time.

She pulled Nick by the hair and brought his face in close for greedy kiss. It was like someone was going to take him away from her, but he was hers and she was his. Their tongues danced rhythmically together until Nick ended the kiss and started to ease his way lower, sucking and nibbling on Adrienne’s neck, leaving tiny bite marks. He rained kisses all over her full breasts as he positioned his body between her legs.

“I’ve been waiting to do this for an entire week now,” he groaned and slipped her nipple into his mouth. Adrienne let out a loud sigh and felt her lower region tingle deliciously. She was gradually getting wetter as Nick’s tongue teased her sensitive nipple. He sucked hard on her, just the way she liked it. His fingers played with her neglected breast and he decided to give it some attention with his mouth as well.  She ran her hand through Nick’s hair, further encouraging his ministrations.

 He removed his hand from Adrienne’s breast and gradually moved it lower onto her stomach and then to her soft mound. He dipped his hand inside her wet, fleshy lips and rubbed his diligent fingers along the length of her slit. This caused Adrienne to gasp and jump into Nick’s hand, deepening the sensations she was feeling. His mouth traveled south, the trail of kisses ending around the smooth plane of her stomach. He lingered there, as if to pay respects to the child growing in her womb. She stroked his hair and the kisses being spread along her body were sweeter as opposed to urgent and needy.

But there was plenty of time for sweet tenderness, Adrienne wanted more and she let Nick know quite obviously. She pushed his head down lower so he could plant some kisses on her aching sex. He got the point and moved his face lower, smiling to himself. He spread her sticky lips apart and delved his tongue inside, not bothering to tease. Nick wanted this just as much as Adrienne.

She squealed as his tongue penetrated her, never rushing his actions and that’s what made the experience all the better. She brushed the hair off his eyes so she could see him pleasuring her. He licked the entire length of her dripping slit, cleaning the moisture off but somehow helping to create more. He placed several kisses on her thighs, but Adrienne grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back to her center.  Nick opened his mouth and sucked one of Adrienne’s swollen lips inside, moving his head to one side to gain better access. She moaned loudly, covering her mouth to prevent an echo escaping the room. She couldn’t help being so noisy whenever Nick went down on her.

She was on fire now; the need to come was overwhelming. Nick could sense it, so he moved his lips onto her clitoris and sucked on it hard while pushing two fingers inside her. Adrienne screamed, body trembling as her orgasm approached with a vengeance. Nick flicked his tongue rapidly against her clitoris, thrusting his fingers in and out of her. Her body stiffened and she came with shout, her thighs pressed firmly against Nick’s head. Essentially, he was trapped between them but Adrienne knew he didn’t care.  A minute passed and her body started to relax and Nick found the opportunity to escape his sexy prison. He kissed around her hip bones and inner thighs, waiting for Adrienne to recover.

“I could do this all day,” Nick moaned, nuzzling her pubic hair. His lips and chin glistened with her juices. “You taste so good.” 

And then he was at it again.

 Licking and probing everything he could get his mouth on. Adrienne had never seen a man so eager to perform cunnilingus before.

 It didn’t take long before Adrienne came again, flooding Nick’s mouth with her essence. She laid their shaking, pushing Nick’s head away from her sex. He carefully removed his fingers from her and then sucked them clean to remove any evidence of her orgasm. Adrienne pulled his face up to hers and kissed him ravenously, caressing his face, thanking him for what he did for her.

She wanted to return the favor. They traded places so that Nick was the one lying on the bed, awaiting pleasure. Adrienne kissed all over his face, her hand traveled along his body, searching for his deprived erection. It was poking out through his trousers, begging for attention. She stroked him through the fabric. She kissed down his neck and across his chest, licking around his nipples. He groaned at the attention Adrienne gave him. She bit him a little, just like he did to her. Her lips continued their journey down his torso until she was right between his legs.

Adrienne slowly unzipped and unbuttoned Nick’s pants. She pulled them off him as quickly as she could, throwing them aside. She saw his hard cock straining against his underwear and decided to free it from uncomfortable confinement. When she did, it sprung out with excitement, hitting her chin, bobbing lewdly in her face. It looked delicious and she couldn’t wait to get his cock in her mouth. She stuck her tongue out and sensuously licked the pearly white liquid seeping from the tip.

She loved the way he tasted. Nick was the first and only man she had ever made love to with her mouth.

Giving oral sex never appealed to her very much so she never did it. She didn’t feel obligated to do it with Nick, it felt like a privilege to feel his stiff member throbbing in her mouth, rupturing in orgasm. He moaned as he felt Adrienne’s lips around him, sucking gently. She took him deeper into her mouth, so deep that she could feel his tiny pubic hairs tickle the very tip of her nose. It surprised both of them how deep she could take him in. He tasted and smelled so clean; she took so much pleasure from doing this. The sounds of Nick’s pleasure were like a divine orchestra to her ears.

She started moving her head up and down, all while sucking at a slow pace. Nick’s fingers laced themselves into the silky dark threads of Adrienne’s hair, never pushing her down, but lightly urging her to pick up the pace. She took her mouth off him for a second to tease him by licking the entire length of his cock with the tip of her tongue. Her mouth descended once again and enveloped him entirely. She bobbed her head and started sucking harder, knowing he was about to come hard in her mouth. She was ready to taste his seed, knowing it was eminent.

But Adrienne felt Nick push her off him gently. She released his cock from her lips and Nick pulled her face up to his, kissing her with fervor. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting and probing all around, reminding Adrienne of what he did earlier to her. She moaned into his mouth and Nick grabbed her by the hips, guiding her onto his lap. She quickly impaled herself, needing to feel him in her depths. Adrienne whimpered as she felt Nick’s stiffness stretching her out in the most wonderful way. Nick put his arms around her waist and lifted his head slightly to take her sweet, pink nipple into his mouth, sucking gently. She moved her body against his at a steady pace, but then lust got the better of both of them. Nick started to thrust upwards, hands firmly grasping, leaving red marks on her hips. Adrienne gasped at the frantic movement, desperately trying to keep up with him by bouncing quicker on top of him.

Nick caught her off guard by turning her over onto her back, so she was pinned against his body and the mattress. If he wanted to take matters into his own hands, Adrienne was more than willing to let him do so. He spread her legs and put them around his waist, all while thrusting into her. Adrienne screamed out load, he was so deep inside, her muscles started to clench in a way that immediately launched her to bliss. Nick didn’t stop thrusting, feverishly plunging in and out, his face buried in Adrienne’s neck, gasping his pleasure against her skin.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me, come inside me,” she encouraged softly in his ear, biting his earlobe gently before pulling his face back to kiss his lips. That set him off quickly. He groaned noisily against Adrienne’s mouth and burst his seed into her. She could even feel it, pumping inside her tight canal. Nick collapsed out of exhaustion next to her, trying to regulate his breathing. Adrienne laid her head against his shoulder, wicking away the sweat on his forehead.

Suddenly, she felt incredibly tired for whatever reason. She closed her eyes for a second… but then ended up falling asleep again.

Nick kissed her on the forehead and left the bed to get dressed for the day.

 

\---------

Nick made his way into the kitchen where he found John arguing on the phone with his divorce lawyer. Nick sat at the breakfast table, twiddling with his fingers, pretending not to be interested in the heavy debate his best friend was having. Instead, he found the morning paper and began reading it intently.

When John got off the phone, he turned to Nick and asked, “Since when are you up this early in the morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep very well,” Nick lied through his teeth, withholding a smirk.

So obviously, John saw right through that. “Oh, really? So it couldn’t have been the early morning shag you treated your wife to, could it?”

Nick smiled and nodded eagerly, “Maybe.” He felt like a teenager again, hopelessly infatuated with a beautiful girl.

John smiled back, reaching over to muss up Nick’s hair. “Figures, you look like a disaster.” He noted Nick’s tattered appearance, disheveled hair, and wrinkled clothing.

 Nick looked at John’s face, there was a sadness in his eyes that Nick was quite familiar with.

“You know, the worse is over now. Things could only get better from this point on.”

John sighed and rubbed his temples. “I can only hope so, mate. I can only hope.”

“Believe me, it will,” Nick replied adamantly. “How’s Atlanta taking it?”

“A lot better than I would if I were her.” John sat by Nick, neither of them uttering a word. They didn’t have too. It was as if they could read each other’s minds. Knowing each other the way that they did, conversation was almost obsolete for them.

Silence was broken by the sound of a door opening and a voice emerging from the front.

“Dad, I’m home!” It was Tatjana, who just arrived after spending the weekend with her mother. John and Nick went over to greet her; she was standing beside Julie Anne. Tatjana looked pleasantly surprised to see John there.

“Johnny! What are you doing here?!” She exclaimed and ran over to him, nearly tackling him to the ground just to hug him. John hugged her back tightly.

“I’m staying here for a while, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me.” John was like a second father to her, always there to listen to her and talk. Nick was glad that John had such an influence on Tatjana. She took John into another room, chatting away as only a child could while John just listened and spoketh not. He knew better than to interrupt a young girl’s train of thought.

This left Nick and Julie Anne alone by the front door, standing awkwardly in silence.

Julie Anne put an end to that after it became annoying. “So… I heard you got married a while back…”

“Um… yeah… yeah. I’m married now. Been married for almost seven weeks now,” he replied dryly.

“Nick, why didn’t you tell anyone?”

He mentally rolled his eyes, tired of explaining this to every single person. “Well, it’s not something Adrienne and I wanted to talk about. And I doubt you would if you were in the same situation.”

She laughed slightly, “probably not.” Julie Anne was surprisingly okay with this news. Nick was expecting her to give him this destructively critical lecture on how stupid he was.

She liked doing that when they were married.

“Well, whatever happened and however it happened, I’m happy for you, Nick. Congratulations.” There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in her voice, only genuine sincerity.

 Nick was taken aback by her positive attitude. “Thank you, Jules. I appreciate it.”

Was the real Jules abducted by aliens and replaced with a nicer version? One could only imagine.

“I just want you to be happy, Nick. That’s all I ever wanted,” Julie rubbed his shoulder and patted him on the back. Nick opened the door for her on the way out. “I’ll see you around. Take care of my little girl.”

“Oh, I will, she’s my kid too, you know.” Nick chided and Julie Anne stuck her tongue out playfully at him.

 “See you next weekend, Tatjana!” She yelled loud enough for her daughter to hear in the next room.

“Bye, Mum!” Tatjana yelled back.

Julie waved Nick goodbye and left the house. Nick saw her leave in a taxi and leaned against the door frame. He sighed quietly and went back inside.  

John found a quick getaway from Nick’s daughter, virtually running from the other room. “Your daughter sure is a chatty little thing isn’t she?”

“Yeah, that’s my girl,” Nick said proudly.

“So how did she take the news about your marriage?”

“Better than my parents did, that’s for sure. She was rather excited actually. Telling her was a load off my back.”  

“Ah, don’t worry about your parents.  They’ll come around.”

“Can’t really blame them for not speaking to me. What I did was deceitful and incredibly disrespectful.” With that realization, Nick felt ashamed for actions. He wasn’t very aware of the fact that this secret marriage could damage trust and relationships among his family.

John tried to rationalize with his best friend. “Nick, they’re your parents and no matter how angry or upset they are, they’ll forgive you. There’s nothing in this world that you could do to make your own parents stop loving you.”

Nick was taking John’s speech into consideration.

 He was actually making sense, which is something that John Taylor was certainly not known for.

 All Nick could react with was a stiff nod of the head as symbol for agreement. He heard John grumbling something about stubbornness, aimed directly at Nick, then saw him reach for his jacket and head for the door.

“So, um… I have to go out and talk to this fucking solicitor of mine about… you know what,” John explained, sounding more than a little irritated. “I’m going to catch a taxi.”

“Just take my car.” Nick retrieved his car keys from a drawer and threw them at John.

He caught them, with a look on his face that expressed humor and fake shock. “You trust me enough to take the jag?”

Nick bit the corner of his lower lip and shook his head, “No, not really… but… oh, just take the car, damn it!”

John laughed and headed out the door.

“Hey, where’d John go?” Nick heard behind his back and saw Tatjana standing there, arms crossed in dissatisfaction.

“He’s busy I’m afraid, but hey, you can still have fun Daddy. Tell me, dear, what would you like to do?”

 She rolled her eyes and said, “Let’s just go to the park.”

“Park it is then,” he agreed.

 Tatjana was already ahead of him and out the door, on her way to the nearby park. Nick was about to go after her until he saw Adrienne at the top of the stairs.

“What’s up?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

“You apparently. I mean, finally!” Nick joked and Adrienne giggled. He loved that sound.

“I’m sorry; I’m just really tired all the time. I can’t explain it. Must be the pregnancy or something.”

“It’s alright, really it is,” he informed. “Tatjana and I are headed for the park. Want to tag along?”

“Sure.” She came down and the two of them walked towards the park.

 

\--------

Adrienne sat quietly on the park bench while Nick and his daughter were busy chasing each other around the grassy perimeter. She smiled at the sight of them, imagining herself and her unborn child having the same amount of fun.

She pictured a lot of things having to do with her baby; the good and the scary. She wondered how good a mother she would be, having never considered it before. But now that the responsibility was in her hands, she took it seriously. She was going to care for and love this child with the support of her loving husband.

Nick sat beside her as Tatjana got distracted petting the oversized ducks near the large pond.

“How are you feeling?” Nick asked, always on high alert in case of emergency.

“I feel great. I’m having your baby; it’s hard to feel negative about that.” That sounded more sarcastic than she intended it to be and she immediately opened her mouth to apologize but Nick took it upon himself to speak on her behalf.

“Adrienne, I know this isn’t easy, and it’s never going to be. We’re having a child that needs us to be strong,” he paused briefly to take Adrienne’s delicate hands into his own, “and we will be. But you have to trust me, because I love you and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Okay,” was all she could muster at that moment. Then on a lighter note, they shifted the conversation; discussing baby names, who the baby would look like the most, and whether or not they should start looking at schools for this child that was barely even developed yet.

 

The next day, Adrienne was in the doctor’s office with Nick for her first ultrasound and check-up. The doctor pointed out the tiny figure before them on the monitor as the growing child. Adrienne could hardly believe it, nor could she see it.

 But it was there nonetheless.

 Baby Nameless was there.

 She was only about seven weeks pregnant so they wouldn’t find out the gender of the baby until a couple of months or so. That didn’t keep Nick and Adrienne from guessing though.

Once the appointment was over, the couple left the building and drove back to the house.  When they arrived, Adrienne noticed a strange car parked near the driveway. She tried to ask Nick about it but he was already inside. She followed him and stopped once she saw his parents in the living room.

“Mum, Dad, What are you doing here?”

“I called them over, Nick.” John explained, appearing from one side of the room. “You and your parents need to have a serious talk. This isn’t something you can avoid any longer.” He then left, leaving to give everyone privacy.

Nick moved is head angrily in disbelief and rubbed his temples. Evidently, he wasn’t ready to confront his parents again. Adrienne was also not very comfortable being placed in the center of a family argument.

 And for that reason, she decided that the matter should be dealt with them alone. She put her hand on top of Nick’s shoulder, smiled and mouthed “Good luck” into his ear before evaporating from that scene a quickly as she could. She remembered the way her own family used to settle arguments, which usually involved lots of screaming. She liked to run away from situations like that, not that this would be the same.

But just in case…

Adrienne decided to go to the backyard where she saw Tatjana sitting by a chess table, mindlessly moving chess pieces around. Then she saw Adrianne and motioned for her to join, an offer she couldn’t refuse seeing as there was nothing else to do.

 Neither of them actually knew how to play, so they made up their own absurd rules instead. The two laughed at each other and had a chance to talk, one of the few opportunities they got.

“I’m glad you married my dad, Adrienne,” Tatjana remarked, twirling the ends of her hair.

“So am I, and I’m glad to call you my step-daughter.” Adrienne let that statement sink in for a moment; it was surreal to think about something so unusual. This child was only ten years younger than her.

 Adrienne had to find humor in that.

“What’s it like being pregnant?” The young girl inquired with fascination.

Adrienne couldn’t really answer that, it wasn’t easy to explain at all. Without giving it any though, she replied, “It’s interesting, I guess…”

That answer seemed good enough for Tatjana. She smiled and continued playing the game. 

It seemed like hours that Adrienne waited outside, in realty, it was more like twenty minutes at the most. She decided to go back into the house. She walked quietly towards the living room, cautious not to get involved in any heated discussion. Bracing herself for the worst, she took a deep breath and entered the room.

It was a puzzling scene, at least in her eyes. She didn’t see a bunch of angry people throwing lamps across the room or yelling expletives at each other.

She saw a family uniting. 

Nick and his parents finished what seemed to be a meaningful exchange, and then they stood up and embraced one another.

Adrienne looked on with appreciation, not knowing what they talked about, but whatever it was, they all got through to each other.

As only a family can.

 

\--------

“Nick, I want us to get married… now,” Adrienne insisted across the kitchen table.

Nick spit out the water he was drinking. He wiped his mouth off and stared at Adrienne. “We haven’t even planned yet and you want to get married now?!”

“Well, maybe not now, but this weekend should be fine,” she said matter-of-factly.

“But… but… but…” he stammered.

“Nick, don’t worry. I have an excellent idea!”

 

 The weekend finally came and so did a much anticipated wedding. A wedding that could only take place where it all began.

Las Vegas.

Nick and Adrienne ran out of the chapel they were originally married in two months ago. This time, both were completely aware of what they just did. Their guests sprang after them, throwing rice and cheers in their direction.

 Both couldn’t be happier. Smiling ear to ear, Nick held the hand of his beautiful bride. She looked exquisite in her wedding dress, like an angel on earth. Adrienne had her bouquet of flowers in one hand and almost forgot to throw it, when she did; her own mother was the one to catch it.

 They said goodbye to their family and friends and boarded the white limousine waiting for them.

“I hope you’re happy, Adrienne, because this is the very last wedding I intend on having,” Nick teased and pinched her nose playfully.

Adrienne laughed, slapping his hand away. “Nick, this is it for me. You’re the only man I’ll ever want to marry. You’re stuck with me forever.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he winked and pulled her to him, kissing her fiercely, his tongue searching for hers. Finding the willpower to let Adrienne go, Nick ended their kiss with a soft pant.  He had to wait until they got to the hotel in order to resume his passion upon Adrienne.

Luckily, it was only a short drive away.

 

_One Year Later…_

 

“You already got to hold her, Simon! It’s my turn now!”

“Piss off, John. You had your chance, she’s mine now,” Simon playfully shoved his former band-mate across the shoulder.

“Hand her over, you limey bastard!” John shoved Simon right back.

“Make me, you whiny little fu-”

“Okay now! That’s enough!” Nick came out of the kitchen, holding his infant daughter’s warm bottle in one hand. He quickly snatched the baby away from Simon, who was holding her for the time being.

“Glad to know I can’t leave the two of you alone with my child for three minutes while I get her food ready.” Nick flashed them both a fake scowl and tended to the baby.

 Simon and John just happened to be in the neighborhood for whatever reason and decided to stop on by to have a look at the newest member of Nick’s family. He joined Simon and John on the sofa, where he began feeding his three-month-old daughter.

“Baby Nameless” or Eliza Sophia, AKA, Tatjana the Second, was born May 2, 1998 to the proudest parents a child could ever hope for. She was a beautiful mix of both father and mother, hitting the genetic lottery. With green eyes and chestnut brown hair, she was a sight to be seen. The moment she was born, Nick and Adrienne fell in love with her.

 It was hard not to.

“Do you fellows think it was cruel fate that we all had daughters instead of sons?” John asked.

“Maybe it was just the Universe’s way of punishing us for exploiting women,” Simon answered, half-jokingly.

“Yeah…” the three of them agreed in unison after thinking about it for a minute.

Punishment or not, Nick adored his kids and wouldn’t regret the outcome of his life for any reason. He had a feeling that neither would Simon and John in regards to their own lives, give or take a couple of mistakes down the road.

Nick held Eliza in his arms, his purpose in life was to protect her during the most vulnerable phase in her life. It was the same exact feeling as when Tatjana was a baby. He was up for the challenge again and so was his wife.

Thinking it was safe, Nick let John hold the baby. It was funny seeing grown men with infants, like they’ve never seen or held one before. They were all fathers, though it’s been a while since any of them handled delicate babies.

“Where’s Adrienne?” John inquired and handed the child back to her father.

Nick stoked Eliza’s hair and responded, “I convinced her to go back to Uni for graduate studies. This was her first day.”

Adrienne was reluctant to accept the proposal at first, being that their child was so young, but Nick talked her into it. She had so many aspirations in life and Nick couldn’t fathom her giving them up or regretting the choices she’s made.

This point in time was the perfect chance for Adrienne to continue studying film. Nick and the rest of the band wouldn’t start recording another album for at least six months, that gave him plenty of time to spend with his children.

John and Simon left shortly after Adrienne came back from the university. The first thing she did was take the baby in her arms and shower the tiny creature in kisses.

“Oh, I missed you so much! How’s my baby doing?”

“Well, I’m fine I guess. Though I have a terrible migraine,” Nick joked.

 Adrienne giggled and kissed him sweetly on the lips. She talked about her first day back to college, radiating so much excitement. Adrienne then thanked him for persuading her to go in the first place. Nick already knew she was making the best possible decision for her future; she was so young after all.

She was also an incredible wife and mother; she took on the roll very quickly and was really good at it.

Everything was like one colossal dream that Nick never wanted to wake up from.

Except it wasn’t a dream at all.

A part of him knew that and even the part that was always skeptical told him to accept it. If this was indeed a fantasy world after all, Nick just wanted to lie back and relax.

He thought about all of this… but then a sharp pinch to the arm snapped him out of reverie.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

Adrienne cradled Eliza and looked into Nick’s eyes, smiling innocently. “Listen to me, sweetheart. This is not a dream!”

She brushed a kind hand across Nick’s cheek and kissed him on the forehead. She then stood up and went upstairs. It was the baby’s naptime.

Nick stayed there and smiled knowingly to himself, because after all…

None of this was a dream.

 

 


End file.
